


I'm Gonna Like the Way You Fight

by Dispenser



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Crossfaction, M/M, Slow Burn, TF2 typical violence I guess, respawn exists
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:47:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 98,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23332591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dispenser/pseuds/Dispenser
Summary: An engineer gets transferred to the Blu team stationed over in Badwater Basin
Relationships: Engineer/Spy (Team Fortress 2)
Comments: 151
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'll be using "BLU" and "RED" to refer to the companies and the mercenary teams as a whole. I'll switch to "blue" and "red" when referring to specific mercenaries if only for my own sanity. Rating may change depending on where things go as I write this.

Badwater Basin is a pointless dirt hole with nothing to offer the world other than a reddish mass of clay, dirt, and rocks. The scenery waved and blended together in a slurry under the baking heat of the sun as a horn sounded over the tinny intercoms. The BLU spawn gates began to open, and thus the first bullets between the two teams of mercenaries started to fly. The red spy frowned, trying not to cough from the dust kicked into his face as a blue soldier’s rockets flied inches past his invisible figure; that was almost a close one, he thought irritably as he crouched down to try and make himself smaller from where he sat.

Spy supposed this wasteland’s actual worth didn’t matter in the end to any of them; they were all just here to do their job. He was currently perched invisible on top of an outskirt of rocks near the blue spawn doors, waiting for the enemy team to have enough of a foothole outside the safety of their doors to make his move. It would be pointless to try something now while they could still scurry back inside like scared mice; a cloak and dagger was almost a necessity at the beginning of holding any defense while stationed here.

It might take them a while though, this time around; his red medic had chosen to damage boost their demoman immediately, for early bought time. He sighed, seeing the blue medic hadn’t used their uber yet just to counter; clearly he was opting to save it for whatever sentry defenses the red engineer had up ahead. He’d have to take care of that problem early once they were all outside and distracted again. The red scout seeing blue’s early caution got cocky, running up way too close to the doors to shoot and taunt at whoever was inside – a fatal mistake. Spy snorted when he heard scout give a shriek, dying to the enemy sniper’s bullet. Typical…well, the child had to learn somehow. Twelve seconds later and he’d be back anyway, daring anyone to say something.

The BLUs finally started pushing out, splitting up into groups across the left and right sides as RED was forced back; that was his cue. Spy silently got off the rock outcrops to follow after the medic and heavy duo going for the high ground side on the left. He knew their engineer would be able to wrangle down the others trying to box the sentry down from the right’s sightlines; he had the assistance of other teammates as well. Spy flipped the mic attached to his lapel on, as he started to close in the distance on his targets.

“The blue Heavy and Medic are climbing up to our left side. Distract them for me if you could soldier.”

“Roger that!” The soldier’s voice cheerfully crackled back into the spy’s ear.

On cue, some rockets started to shoot down from above, causing the medic and heavy to look up; they weren’t close enough to reach the sentry in time with uber for the medic to want to use now, and he was distracted. Spy grinned as he uncloaked and swiftly dug his knife into the man’s back, hearing the medic’s angry hiss as his charged uber fizzled out. The Spy chuckled at the sheer anger on his dying face before blanching as the heavy turned around with a minigun spun to his face; fuck.

He dove for the ground, activating his invis as he heard the heavy swear at him in angry Russian.

“DID YOU DO IT? DID WE WIN?” The Red Soldier’s voice popped up again into his ear insistently at the worst time possible.

“No uber coming, medic down,” he growled into his earpiece, trying to dodge the heavy’s bullets.

“Well that’s a fuckin’ relief,” he heard from his engineer, as the sound of a wrangled sentry for a short period clouded the reception.

That’s when he heard the blue heavy’s voice shout over the thick of it, as he tried to turn the corner into the tunnel.

“SPY!”

Fuck. He heard a scout’s footsteps from behind at the callout.

“Yo, heads up!”

Spy heard the crack of glass, and swore as he felt whatever…liquid the blue scout had been carrying screw with his invisibility’s cover. Well, that wasn’t going to help him too much now.

_Fuck._

He pulled out his gun, and started shooting back at the scout chasing him.

The scout managed to get two shots on him, but they weren’t close up enough to really hurt yet. Spy got a shot in on him in return. The blue scout got closer thanks to his speed, and Spy saw him grin.

It didn’t matter which team they were on, or who they were working for, Spy supposed. Scouts got overconfident. The blue scout made to shoot again, and that was when Spy of course, landed a headshot.

He stopped for a second, panting for breath as the scout collapsed on the ground. His last expression was one of confused shock.

“Ha…ha ha!” He could hardly believe it; he was still alive. “HA!”

A sound of another shot, but not from him; Spy froze for a second, as he felt blood start to seep down his forehead, cloying into his hair and the cloth of his mask.

“…Ah.”

“BLOODY BOGAN!”

He forgot to keep track of the enemy sniper. He felt his consciousness sinking, as the respawn system began to pick him up.

Fuck.

His vision turned to a slurry of black.

Twelve seconds.

The time always felt longer of course. But in reality it was only about twelve seconds. Spy shivered as his vision cleared and he was back in the RED team’s spawn again. No matter how many times it happened, he would still never quite get used to the sensation. He dusted off the front of his jacket and fixed his tie, checking to make sure if he was still wearing his hat. Well, everything still seemed to be in order.

He frowned, noticing the scout was still in the spawn room rustling inside one of the lockers. Scout should have been back ages ago. He gave a small cough.

“Ahem.”

Scout looked back at him irritably. “Yeah, yeah, I’m goin’ just tryna find my drink,” he said, as Spy could only sigh in response.

“You have a pistol, you have a gun; you’re fine enough. Stop wasting time.”

“Ey, I wanna bring my drink, then I’m bringin’ my drink it’s not my fault you fellas can’t read the stupid labels I put on ‘em okay?”

Spy rolled his eyes. “Scout –”

“Fellas,” the engineer’s voice cut in, interrupting as he crackled into their earpieces. “Just lettin’ y’all know, teleporter entrance is out.” The two of them in the spawn room paused.

Spy cursed silently under his breath; he could have been long gone by now, if he handn't been distracted by their own scout.

“…Yeah I can just run back no biggie,” Scout finally replied as he continued rustling, not giving it much thought before he paused once again, a look of triumph in his face. “Eeeey, I found it!” He waved his cola over his head, grinning. Spy ignored him, frowning instead.

“How did the teleporter entrance go out exactly?” He asked cautiously. If the enemy demoman was behind them, he’d like to know before getting blasted by stickies to the face.

“Shotgun destroyed it. Coulda been anybody. Be careful fellas.”

Spy sighed. Typical. Someone must have snuck under the tunnel while their engineer had been wrangling the right side down. At least the use of shotgun meant it wasn’t a demoman. Although a soldier would be just as bad, honestly.

“Yeah, careful, gotcha, let’s get outta here –”

“Wait just a moment,” Spy said, holding Scout back firmly before he could exit the door. “Let me leave first. I will tell you if I see anyone.” Scout froze, then shrugged deciding to listen for once.

“Yeah sure, fine. I don’t wanna miss more action getting stuck in the respawn loop too you know,” Scout replied, listening for once in his life. Spy didn’t have time to argue that the period Scout spent searching the lockers in the first place was enough time wasted already; so he focused on his job. He activated his invis, ready to step out, as Scout leaned up against a side wall in case of any incoming blast damage.

The door opened as Spy quickly stepped out to…

Nothing.

Well, nothing except the remnants of their teleporter entrance anyway. Whoever got behind must not have wanted to waste too much time with camping their spawn then.

“Well looks like the coast is clear out here.” The door opened and Spy nearly jumped, as Scout sauntered his way out. He would normally lecture Scout about waiting for his signal, but they had already lost enough time already. He kept his response to simply rolling his eyes before adjusting his earpiece once again.

“If someone is behind, they’re no longer by the doors,” he said, deactivating his invis and following behind as Scout energetically ran to the front exit. “We’re coming back to the front –”

Scout opened the other exit door, and Spy’s eyes went wide. There was no time to put on a disguise.

“Aw shit,”

“FUCK –”

A blue sentry beeped to life, and the two of them were sent back into the cold embrace of the respawn cycle…a second time.

Once the Spy respawned he swore if the BLU team didn’t kill him, he was going to wring the scout’s neck for them instead. It all started to make sense.

It wasn’t a demoman, soldier, or even a pyro that had gotten behind them.

It was an _engineer._

Well…fuck.

They respawned, finally, a second time. Spy glared daggers into the Scout, who could only look anywhere but at him sheepishly.

“So, uh,”

“I will _take care of it,”_ the Spy hissed. Scout for once in his life didn’t have it in him to mouth back.

“Yeah, whatever,” was all he could manage, trying to keep his annoyance to himself.

Spy fiddled with his kit angrily, letting his demeanor rather than his words do the talking. He put on a pyro disguise and marched out the spawn door, out the other exit door to find…the sentry had been moved. He frowned. Great. Perfect. There could be an entire level three sentry anywhere behind them. And he would have to waste time searching for it instead of say, doing something more useful like harassing the enemy’s medic, or sniper, or –

He couldn’t let himself get frustrated. The Sentry was one thing. God help him if the man built a teleporter. His earpiece crackled to life once again.

“Hey fellas –”

“Engineer. No time – I’m afraid to report we have –” Spy heard the sound of explosions over the mic. He sighed, knowing what that meant.

“You’re damn right no time! Y’all been back there too long –”

“Engineer –”

“I gotta book it to the roof before they get all up in our space!”

“Engineer, there is a –”

“WHAT IS TAKING YOU SISSY LIVERED MAGGOTS BACK THERE SO LONG!”

“EY IT WASN’T MY FAULT, THERE’S A FUCKIN –”

“DON’T YOU TALK BACK TO ME PRIVATE TWINKLE TOES!”

“I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLIN ME THAT!”

“CALLIN’ YOU WHAT? PRIVATE TWINKLE –”

“GENTLEMEN, IF YOU COULD PLEASE!” Spy finally tried to assert himself before the soldier and scout could go further. He was working with imbeciles. There was a short burst of quiet, punctuated only by the sounds of the battle around them.

“The BLU teams engineer appears to have gotten behind us.” He could hear the crackle of the red engineer’s swearing under the mic.

“One more damn thing to look out for, I reckon. We’re falling back anyway.”

“Yes.”

“Mind going back and lookin’ for him Spy?”

“We will handle roof.” The Heavy had been silent the entire time, only now deciding to weigh in. “If he is there, he is dead. If he is on your side, also dead.” There was a pause. “But from you.”

Spy grunted, changing his disguise to a blue scout’s instead of a pyro’s. Maybe the feeling of extra speed would help him get this over with.

“Fine.”

“Good luck buddy!” He felt the Scout cheerfully slap his back, before running back to the frontlines. Spy’s face curled sour. He wanted to tell him to go to hell, but bit his tongue.

The sooner he got rid of this engineer hiding in their base behind them, the better.

And to think, the fight had started off for him so well.


	2. Chapter 2

The best place to start looking Spy supposed, were the elevated areas around the third checkpoint; engineers working for either company did tend to like building up there after all, for the fortifications and sightlines offered. Spy silently cloaked as he walked under the bridge following the rails; the last thing he needed was to be spotted from any of the windows, if the engineer happened to be looking out of one of them. Given how far behind they both were, he figured the likelihood that the man would fall for any of Spy’s disguises currently were slim. He looked up, but didn’t see a sentry beeping anywhere overhanging the balconies. Hm. He’d better go up the stairs and case the level anyhow just to be safe; the only other places left after this were the rooms around the stacks of tires further back and the enclosed areas of the RED team’s own spawning points. The sooner he was done here, the better.

Silently Spy went up the stairs, then stopped yet again to scan around and listen – his initial hunch at least was right. He heard the soft beep of an enemy sentry and the cooling whirs of a dispenser fairly close by. And wherever the gear was, odds were the engineer wouldn’t be far either. He remembered what his own engineer had said; their team’s teleporter entrance had been destroyed by a shotgun. No indication of any special shotgun; just a regular shotgun. The laborer had no rescue ranger on hand at least to teleport his gear away from afar. If anything, at least Spy had that working in his favor.

He creeped silently ever closer in the direction of those sounds, only stopping once he had his target in sight. There he was, the blue engineer standing near his own dispenser, frowning in concentration over an open map. Distracted…good. Spy felt some relief wash over him, but didn’t let his guard down just yet. He snuck closer, and even closer, carefully lifting himself on top of the man’s dispenser for a better vantage point. The engineer for his part just spread the map overtop the flat area of his sentry with a grumble, adjusting his goggles as he squinted down.

Spy supposed he must be a newer recruit to the blue team or even a transfer; he must not be too familiar with the layout of the Basin’s surroundings yet, either way. He didn’t bother dwelling on the details though. He uncloaked as quickly as he could to take advantage, planning to go for a quick stab to the back with a sap to the sentry immediately after. It was unfortunate then, that the engineer turned around.

In the midst of both their motions, their eyes met, and Spy could feel the moment slow down around them as the engineer’s gaze saw clearly straight through his disguise. It was in that moment that the Spy saw a grin crack over the other’s face, a hand reaching for a propped up shotgun.

“Well _howdy_ there.” The drawl of his voice was a little too smooth and amicable, in contrast to the danger promised by its underlying bite.

Shit.

The spy cursed softly to himself; _of course_ the other man had to have ears. Maybe he should have been faster. Maybe he should have taken a gamble and decloaked further away. Maybe, maybe, maybe. There was no time to lose; he had to switch up his plan. He quickly switched from knife to sapper, and applied it to the sentry instead – if not to save himself a few precious seconds, then to split the engineer’s focus between two targets. He dodged the initial bullets shot straight at him, trying to get closer into knife range.

His next move depended on what kind of engineer he was dealing with; engineers tended to have two kinds of reactions the Spy had found over the years. They either focused too much on trying to unsap their sentry, or they focused too much on trying to kill him instead.

The engineer quickly reached for his wrench. So the first type then.

Spy grinned, pulling out another sapper once again; how typical. The engineer slammed his wrench to the applied sapper once, and the Spy reached out, only to find himself surprised a second time. The engineer it seemed, whirled back towards him with his shotgun out.

Ah. That was actually kind of smart.

Spy hissed, ducking the enemy’s shots. The other sapper wasn’t entirely removed, but it was clear that only one more hit would dislodge it; either way the Spy didn’t think he’d be able to get a second one on it. And if he engaged in a gunfight and shot back, it would only take the engineer one more swing for his sentry to be back online – the last thing Spy needed if he was out of disguise. He could either wear a disguise, or he could shoot his gun. Both at same time though, unfortunately not – that just wasn’t how his equipment was built. Think fast. He had to think fast.

He lunged forward as the engineer shot; Spy grunted as he felt the bullets pierce him but took the hit as he barreled into the engineer, using their shared momentum to knock them both over the edge as the engineer gave a shout. The Spy couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction as they both went over; good luck getting his sentry to help him _now_. Spy had to admit, this wasn’t one of his usual more elegant solutions, but well. At least it was unexpected.

They landed with a hard thud, the engineer taking the brunt of the fall to his back with a pained grunt. Spy tried to grab at his own gun, to shoot while the other was still down and winded. Unfortunately, he was knocked over for his efforts instead. The engineer may have been shorter than the Spy, but he still had more upper body strength. _Damn,_ Spy thought. He was hoping an impact from that high of a fall would at least dull the man’s reaction time a bit more, but apparently not.

“You _jackass_ ,” the engineer spat out with a harsh laugh.

Spy yelped as he felt his gun arm twisted and saw a raised a fist, clutching a wrench; he needed his gun. Spy needed his gun, if he could just twist his arm out of that crazed man’s grip to – spy jerked his head, the engineer’s wrench smashing into the dirt, Spy wincing at the sound of the heavy thud where his skull would have been. His gun, his gun, his – his fingers finally gripped onto it. With a pained yell of his own, he twisted his arm in a surge of mustered energy, just enough to point it into the offending engineer’s abdomen, pulling the trigger. Now it was the engineer’s turn to yell himself in pain; his grip loosened for a moment, only just a moment – but that moment was more than enough.

Spy rolled out as fast as he could, as the engineer staggered back up shotgun in hand. Spy shot again, hoping to finish him off but the engineer dodged, still just as quick despite his wounds. Spy cursed, feeling the throbbing pain in his arm; of _course_ the one that had to be twisted was the one he shot with. Before the Spy could try to shoot a third time, the Engineer got yet another shot in of his own before backing up, putting healthy space between them. Spy growled, knowing good and well it would difficult if not impossible to get into knife distance now. As Spy tried to keep shooting back, the engineer suddenly changed course, tossing a sentry deployment box towards the startled Spy before diving for the cover of a left corner. Spy cursed loudly this time, forced to slap another sapper down before taking chase after the man. He dashed, finally making the corner, but not before the engineer raised his wrench over his head, and blinked out right in front of him. Ah.

So it was like that then. Spy sighed; the adrenaline of the moment slowly seeped out of his body as the pain throbbing through him began to make itself more uncomfortably known. So it was one of _those_ wrenches then. He’d heard about the model from his own engineer but rarely got to see it in action, if ever. The gear both allowed one to travel back to their own spawn, and back to wherever the engineer’s teleport exit lay. Spy frowned, registering what he thought to himself once again. Teleporter exit.

The engineer would be able to teleport back to wherever he left a teleporter exit, even without an entrance.

Well fuck. It wasn’t over quite yet then.

He ran back, hissing through the pain, up the staircase to where the rest of the engineer’s gear still was, but saw only a dispenser left. No teleporter exit. Great. Fuck. He grunted in frustration, but tempered himself down, sighing as he put on a disguise to let the dispenser’s cooling flow of health do its work. Once the pain had finally subsided, he applied a sapper to it as well before switching on his mic. He had been quiet to the rest of his team long enough.

“Gentleman,” He started, wincing as yet another loud explosion crackled the waves. “I’m afraid the sentry may be down, but the chance that there is a teleporter behind us still exists. However I do not believe there is an entrance. Yet.” He sighed, pinching his nose. “He was using a teleporter wrench.”

“Good work. Credit to team.” The heavy gruffly replied first, terse with concentration somewhere else.

“Well if it’s on this side I ain’t seen it, and I’ve been runnin’ circles behind the roof ‘round this dumbass demo.” More explosions, and the distinct sound of Scottish cursing could be heard from Scout’s end.

“I just put the teleporter entrance back at our spawn not that long ago,” their engineer chimed in. “Ain’t seen one of blue’s, but then again I wasn’t really looking. If it’s in our own spawn, it’s in one helluva hidden spot. Couldn’t be in the map room though, that area was locked off ‘round the time he got back there.”

“Check ‘round that pile of tires man, I’d bet you a whole ten dollars it’s back there honest –” There was a sound just then of crashing glass and swearing. “Hey, HEY IS THAT PISS IS THAT PISS IS THAT FUCKIN PISS WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU –” the scout’s mic went fuzzy in a muffled struggle, and Spy sighed. He hated to admit it but Scout had a point.

“I’m on my way now then.” He finally began to walk back to the area with the stacked tires, warily keeping his gun in his hand; lord knew the engineer could teleport back at any time. He looked in every nook and cranny he could find, but saw no teleporter exit. Not here, nor there. He double checked a second time, and craned his neck up at some of the roofs even; nothing.

He had to admit, this exit was harder to find without the tell-tale glow that appeared when the infernal device was actually active. He muttered to himself irritably, fishing out a new cigarette. Even if the engineer hadn’t been able to stay behind long, the mere fact that he had been back there at all was keeping the Spy away from anywhere useful longer then if it had been any other mercenary class that slipped past them. He tersely walked over by the balconies at their own spawn, impatient. Nothing, nothing, nothing. He walked down to the lower levels; more nothing. Maybe he hadn’t even gotten around to building a teleporter exit and Spy was wasting all of his time for nothing. He had been rather busy with that map after all, lord knows if the man even _knew_ where an optimal place to put the thing might be. It was then that the signal on his earpiece turned back on, to the panicked voice of his own engineer.

“Enemy uber left side! Spy up there too, I’m down, gun’s down I’m –” Other voices started to chime in over the comms; looked like Blue was managing to break through second.

And if Spy stayed here any longer they’d manage to push their deranged bomb into third too. Right; he was coming back. If there was a teleporter, and it was activated, he would take it down from the entrance side, he couldn’t stay back here playing 'Where’s Waldo' with a mysterious theoretical teleporter any longer.

“I’m coming back, hold on –”

His breathing was suddenly cut short with a gasp. It was at that moment that he felt the heavy thud of a wrench slam hard into his skull from above, followed by a triumphant laugh.

“Gotcha, Stretch!”

From above. Teleporter Wrench. From above. Ah. So he _had_ placed his exit somewhere in spawn above. Those were his last thoughts.

Well, at least for another twelve seconds.

He respawned for what must have been the third time that day in a foul mood. He grabbed his mic from within what must have been their lower spawn, face curled up in a nasty frown. “The teleporter is somewhere near the top floor of our spawn levels. What is the situation out front?” Scout respawned just then right next to him.

“So uh, you wouldn’t believe it, they managed to roll into third, but no biggie,” he said, stretching before heading out the door once again. “Engie can build up, it’ll be hard for them to break through last and –”

Scout was barely outside spawn before the bullets hit him once again. Spy gave a small snort; looks like the blue engineer had moved a sentry up in no time at all while he was out. Brilliant.

“SOLDIERS WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!”

Spy couldn’t help but sigh.

“Is it a sentry outside our spawn?” There was a small pause.

“HOW DID YOU KNOW?”

“Just shoot it down, if you could,” Spy replied tersely over the mic.

“THAT IS WHAT I AM TRYING TO DO!” There were the sounds of more explosions, then another pause. “I AM NOT IN A GOOD ANGLE FOR THIS!”

“I see. And the rest of us are scattered. How fast are they pushing, would you say?” More mic shuffling and yelling from different places. Spy gave a snort. That bad, it seemed. “Right. I will see if I can reach it.”

He went invisible, taking a scout disguise as he raced out the spawn door once again. The bottom level spawn; what unfortunate luck. He gave a slow whistle as he looked up, seeing the sentry and the now activated teleporter behind it in the small space of a tiny section of balcony nobody ever used.

You’d have to jump from the railing of the top left just to get there, which is why nobody really bothered. No _wonder_ he didn’t see anything here earlier. Spy barely remembered that section was even there, given how often anyone had used it in recent years or even memory.

The blue engineer himself was down below however, getting into a shotgun duel with his own team’s pyro, who had been trying to retreat back to base from the front. Clearly they were already wounded badly enough as is, too badly to help deal with this. Spy winced as he hurried up the ramp and watched the pyro fall; trying to help put him in danger of getting shot down by that blasted sentry a second time today, and he needed it down as soon as possible for the sake of everyone else.

Well, at least the pyro had kept the man distracted. The soldier was still awkwardly trying to shoot the sentry from his perch, as the Heavy and Sniper unfortunately spawned in from down below themselves as well.

“Watch out for the –” He hissed as the Sniper bit it.

“Ha, Classic Sniper.” Spy could see Scout’s face laughing from the spawn room above, unable to do much as he craned with his pistol out.

“Scout? Shut up.”

The BLU team was baring down on them, as RED was now too scattered in terms of numbers and respawn times to slow them down. Nobody was able to stop them from getting around the corner after the third checkpoint. He heard their own engineer die just now, having put up a monster of a fight nearly on his own back there. Lord knew where their team’s medic and demoman were, as he heard the two of them argue over the mic feeds instead. The blue team was going to push that bomb in, fucking hell, they were going to push that bomb in. Spy balanced himself on the upper balcony’s railing as the soldier and now the heavy tried to gun the sentry outside their doors down. Spy tried to concentrate with what little time he had. He had to jump; it was now or never. He made the leap and gasped, hands grasping onto the other side of the railing as he just barely pulled himself over.

Quickly he pulled out two sappers and applied them both, triumph in the moment rushing over him. That is, before he managed to look down and felt weariness wash over him once again like an old friend.

Looks like the BLU team managed to deliver the bomb.

He braced himself for the blast’s impact.

That _fucking_ blue engineer.


	3. Chapter 3

The atmosphere when the REDs returned to their base of operations was heavy with sulking; nobody really wanted to talk about the embarrassment of the day’s loss, least of all Spy. All he wanted was a glass of wine and time alone to figure out what to do next. He inevitably couldn’t stay cooped up for long though; even he needed to eat at least once or twice a day.

He rolled his eyes as he walked into the mess kitchen, seeing that the medic and demoman were still arguing heatedly at one of the tables. Spy tried to ignore them, as he opened up the team’s fridge.

“Ah’m just saying that blue sniper was right there, not a clue in the world! I was _plannin’_ to come back!”

“I asked you to do ONE thing demo!” the Medic practically shouted at this point, too loud for even the Spy to ignore, as he wrinkled his nose at the fridge’s contents. How long had that cream cheese _been_ in there? “What did I ask you?” The medic hissed.

There was a short pause in the voices of the two now, before a chastised demo finally slowly responded.

“…Not to sticky jump and leave ye’ alone.”

Spy frowned at a jar of wriggling bread bathed in a questionable green liquid stuffed into the far back. He didn’t remember _that_ being in there yesterday.

“And what did you do?”

“…Sticky jumped to try and caber the sniper...leaving you alone.” The demo looked sheepish now. “Look I’ve been _tryin_ to get this blasted stick to work for ages now, ye know that!”

Spy slammed the door of the fridge frustrated, and started rustling in the cabinets. Surely they had something, anything that was passable for consumption?

“Then try on your own time! I was STUCK behind the enemy lines for –”

“You ladies still cryin ‘bout earlier?” The Scout interrupted, sauntering in and heading to the fridge, bumping roughly past Spy. “So okay, they got lucky once! _Nobody_ gets lucky twice, though. It’s impossible.”

Scout grabbed three cans of cola out of the fridge, popping the tab of one open and taking a swig. Spy grimaced; how the Scout did it, he had no idea. Feeling the sour look, Scout turned, frowning back.

“What’s your problem, Chuckles? Still can’t spot some blue paint in a sea of fuckin’ red?”

Demo gave a low whistle as Spy gripped the cupboard handles hard, doing his best to keep his face set as straight as possible as he fumed. His efforts were for nothing though as he felt his left eye twitch; oh to hell with it. He slammed the cupboard door shut. The sad state of their food supplies were a joke until they were replenished tomorrow morning anyway; he might as well just take his car and eat out, he thought, storming away.

“Nice one, lad!”

“Hey, it was a joke! He started it!”

Those were the last protests Spy heard before he was out of earshot, making his way to the garages and his mildly beat-up city car. He sighed; as much as he tried to keep the poor thing maintained, he wasn’t one to know much about cars. Maybe he should try talking to his own engineer about it sometime.

Spy frowned as he got into his car, turning the keys in the ignition. Engineers. That new engineer on the enemy team was clearly going to be a problem, he thought to himself, beginning to calm down the longer he drove on the open roads. He’d have to do some background research on him later. Simple enough; Blue’s bases were all built much like their own, due to old ties between the two warring companies. It wouldn’t be that hard to find their employee files, stashed away in the same kind of control rooms, down the same kind of halls. Even if there wasn’t much in there, he’d at least have a name to use to canvass further elsewhere.

He could handle that tomorrow however; Spy took a turn, spotting the roadside diner he had been searching for in the distance. There were already quite a few cars out front which was to be expected given that it was already dinner hour. He slowed as he reached the front before parking, humming softly as he weighed his options. If he went in as is, he was incredibly unlikely to have to deal with any pointless small talk from the locals given his clear employer associations. Most of them had learned by now to be wary of anyone wearing certain company colors.

On the other hand if he walked in using a disguise, he would draw much less attention to himself in the first place...the only difficulty in that plan however being the concept of eating with a disguise mask on. He pulled a face at the thought, then shook his head; he wasn’t on work hours right now. Why cause himself to needlessly suffer? He’d just walk in as is. Mind decided, he got out of the driver seat of his car, locking the door shut before heading in.

He was immediately hit by a blast of smells over the customer chatter and the tinny jukebox, of grease, frying batter, and more grease. He tried to keep his face politely neutral as he scanned around for a spot to sit; thankfully he was in luck. There was still an empty booth in the back that he could steal. As long as he leveled a specific brand of stare at anyone who dared walk by, he’d be able to keep his company blessedly alone. He quickly walked over and sat down while the getting was good.

A clearly frazzled waitress pouring coffee refills managed to spot him and walked over, pulling out a notepad and pen. “Anything I can get you sir?”

“A caprese salad, and a bottle of champagne, if you please,” Spy said almost automatically before realizing his error. He pretended not to notice the woman’s clear nervousness as he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “My apologies. I will have a… _grilled cheese._ ” He pondered his order further in his head. “And a coke. Diet.” The waitress nodded in relief, hurrying back away from his table.

Spy sighed, sinking down a bit in his seat as he rustled in his pocket for a quick cigarette. He inhaled after lighting it, taking in his surroundings a bit more deeply now. The diner was mostly filled with workers from the surrounding smattering of towns and a few drivers, chatting around as amicably as anyone could he supposed. Yes there were a few teenagers here and there across the bunch, but it was clear who the regular clientele happened to be. This place was clearly popular though; he was lucky to get his seating in time when he did.

He took another drag of his cigarette, and looked back to the door as he heard the jiggle of someone new entering in. Spy froze; he recognized that fresh face, as it scanned around curiously for an empty seat himself. Oh _merde_.

It was the blue engineer. Despite the lack of hardhat, goggles, and more casual wear, Spy still recognized him immediately. It would be hard not to recognize the face of the man he had pushed over a ledge only earlier today. The engineer’s gaze turned around and their eyes locked once again. Spy glared daggers; his booth may be the last empty one, but there were still one or two spots open at least near the bar.

The engineer, if he noticed the very obvious malice directed towards him didn’t act as if he registered it and walked himself over anyway. Spy could feel his mood going all the way south once again. Clearly, today just wasn’t his day.

“These seats are taken,” Spy said with an edge to his voice, stopping the engineer who looked down at him mainly in clear, maddening curiosity. The engineer for his part simply raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t see nobody else here. And you _do_ have quite a bit of room you could share.”

“There are still seats at the bar.”

“That may be so, but I’m hankering to actually _eat_ tonight, and I’m gonna need the plate room to do so,” the insipid man chuckled, ignoring all of the Spy’s clear warnings and sitting down instead right across from him. He pulled out a cigarette of his own. “Got a light?”

The two didn’t break eye contact as Spy continued to stare bloody murder, and the Engineer continued to hold his gaze level, a hard twitch at the corner of his mouth.

“Oh _hello_ there, what can I get you sir?” The moment was broken as the engineer quickly turned around and flipped a switch to charm, smiling warmly at the waitress in front of them.

“Thank you kindly, darlin’ – I don’t suppose you got any specials going?”

“Well, we do have our all-day breakfast goin’ right now. Hash browns, sausage, bacon, toast, grits, you name it –”

“I would _love_ to order that, sounds wonderful. With some black coffee if you could too.”

“Of course! Will that be all?”

“No, no, that’s it. Thank you kindly.”

The Engineer gave the waitress one last sunny smile as she simpered before heading back off. The Spy for his part couldn’t help but examine the man’s face throughout.

It wasn’t every day you saw someone flip between faces like that. At least, outside of anyone in his particular profession, the Spy supposed. The engineer turned back around to him.

“So do you got a light, or what?”

Spy gave him one last examining look. Well, he had nothing to lose. He took his lighter out of his pocket, placing it quietly on the table. He was too hungry to leave, and societal conventions held him back from killing the man on the spot. That didn’t mean he had to _talk_ to him however.

“Thanks,” the engineer grunted, lighting his own before tossing the piece back. He gave a low chuckle as he took another drag. “Y’all getting low on food supply over there too then?”

Spy chose to look particularly preoccupied with the window panes separating the diner from the outside rather than answer, as he took another drag himself. After a moment, the Engineer simply shrugged.

“Yeah, whatever’s left may be good enough for the rest of ‘em but I actually like to eat my meals hot. Speaking of which.” The engineer grinned as he saw the waitress making her way back over carrying two trays with their orders.

Spy put his polite face back on as he nodded to the woman amicably, receiving his grilled cheese with the diet coke he ordered, and a tomato soup he wasn’t aware came with the sandwich. He tried not to wrinkle his face once again in disgust when he saw the heaping platters of what might as well be sizzling grease placed in front of the clearly delighted engineer.

Spy watched the man dig in with almost repulsed curiosity. He silently supposed if it weren’t for the active requirements of the job, that engineer would have more meat on his bones then even now. Engineer paused as he felt Spy’s stare, looking up with half a piece of toast still in his mouth.

“…You want some?”

Spy quickly shook his head, turning his attentions back to his own food, tearing his sandwich carefully in half. The engineer grinned as he downed the last of his toast he’d been chewing, before reaching across the table to grab enough cream and sugar to practically drown his coffee in.

“Fair enough,” he said. “Your meal is respectable enough as is. Love dunking a good grilled cheese in some tomato soup.”

“You what?”

The Engineer did a double-take, looking back up after the Spy’s first words the entire evening. He blinked slowly, noticing the Spy hadn’t even taken a bite of his own food yet.

“…You dunk it. In the soup. Tastes amazing.”

Engineer watched in clear curiosity as the Spy frowned, testing his advice with a slow, first experimental sandwich dunk.

The first bite was slow at first as well, as he closed his eyes, before he opened them again. Slowly, the Spy nodded.

“…Not bad.”

“I know, right?”

“Don’t take this to mean we’re friends,” Spy cut in evenly, before engaging in another sandwich dunk. Loath as he was to admit it, maybe the Engineer did have some small semblance of taste after all.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” The engineer was quick to reply back, a small smile quirking at the sides of his mouth as he went back to his own (much too large) meal.

An unspoken temporary truce washed between them as they both quietly finished the rest of their dinners. Spy wasn’t sure exactly how the Engineer finished first but he did, leaning back in his seat clearly satisfied.

“We’re fightin’ again day after tomorrow, right?”

Spy sighed, leveling his eyes back up once again.

“…What of it?”

The look in the engineer’s eyes were still clearly humorous but there was a hint of hardness now, and his grin widened.

“Oh, nothin’. Just looking forward to seeing you there.”

The Spy’s eyes narrowed, as he finished the last of his meal as well. The memory of the day’s events were still clear on Spy’s mind; he could tell when he was being baited. He kept the pause between them long and dragging as he considered his next words.

“…I suppose you are under the belief that the feelings are mutual.”

The engineer raised his eyebrows, the grin not leaving his face. It made the Spy irritable; _Jackass._ Despite his better judgment, Spy leaned over the table, looking the Engineer clear and dead in the eye.

“I will find you. Try as you might, I will find you.” Spy’s voice was low, amicable, almost friendly enough. But his words were laced with pure, unadulterated poison. “And when I do, I will make sure with everything in my power, that you won’t have _anything_ to be smiling about anymore.”

Spy studied the Engineer for his reaction. The grin stayed locked, but the expression on his face took a more calculated edge, eyebrows still raised.

“Well now,” he replied quietly back, fishing in his pocket for money to pay off his meal’s tab. “Wouldn’t want it any other way.” The engineer then left after generously tipping their waitress, waving a hand behind his back. Spy scowled at the retreating figure, before fishing for his own bills as well.

If he didn’t have enough motivation to dig up as much dirt as he could between tomorrow and the next day’s skirmish, he certainly did now.

He was going to get that prick.


	4. Chapter 4

As Spy had assumed, it hadn’t been _that_ difficult for him to break into the BLU’s record rooms. The layouts were in essence virtually the same, after all. He’d have easy access to the paper records; anything digital however, was a much different story. He’d burn that bridge when he got there though, Spy figured as he made quick work of one of the cabinets’ locks. He pulled out one of the drawers with a heave, the weight nearly surprising him. If their new Engineer was a new hand entirely, his records were more likely to be mostly digitized. If he was merely a transfer as Spy was guessing, quite a few of his records would still be in paper files. Spy gave a low whistle as he spotted the right folder, pulling it out with a huff; the thing was hefty, even by employee paperwork standards. At least if he couldn’t crack the computer passwords, he’d have a lot to go off of with the analog records alone.

Spy pulled out a small camera from the inside of his jacket and set it aside; if anything came up that was of special interest, he’d document it for future reference. Or well, blackmail too. Blackmail was also an option of course. He flipped through pages of the usual before raising his eyebrows at a particular stack of documentation; the engineer’s stationing records. From the looks of it, he’d been moved from team to team quite often. In an effort to encourage teamwork, trust, and camaraderie, teams tended not to rotate their hires between units like that. For a merc to be moved from team to team that frequently was unusual. If more manpower was needed elsewhere, the entire squad was moved as opposed to just one or two members. He flipped to just one page listing transfers out of many. Some transfers were voluntary, others clearly weren’t. 

“My god, is there any outpost he hasn’t been sent to?” Spy muttered, keeping his voice low. His initial hunch had been right; the engineer may have been a transfer but he was still a seasoned one. Spy just hadn’t quite expected _this_ level of transfer shuffle though. He continued reading through the various lists of reasons for each change of shift. He started with the listings based on personal requests first; he was curious what direct quotes there would be. He frowned as he scanned the pages…one after the other, the wording was so similar he may as well have repeated himself each time. _Required for other contract work._

Contract work? The exact specifications weren’t listed. He’d have to keep his eyes peeled for anything more on that. He snorted when he started going over the more ‘colorful’ reasons for transfer outside of those based on personal requests. Most from earlier in his career were based on complaints from his own team members. Maybe it wasn’t so much an issue for him now, but early on from the looks of it he clearly hadn’t been too much of a team player. He also seemed to have indulged in a vindictive streak at one or two points - on occasions where Scouts would repeatedly steal teleporters, the man had placed his exit in deep pits or walled off areas to trap them there out of spite. Oh, that was rich.

The papers corroborated another one of Spy’s suspicions though; what happened the other day when the man got behind them hadn’t been a fluke. There were multiple instances and photographs showing off his tendency to build aggressively behind enemy territory and lines. One photograph taken by god knows who showed the engineer laughing on the balconies of Upward, his hard hat comically placed on top of his sentry gun shooting downwards. Spy rolled his eyes, sniffing in mild disgust. Speaking of Upward, it appeared as if that had been the last place he was stationed before being transferred here to the Basin.

Spy’s eyes narrowed as he read; while most of the pages in the engineer’s files were vague in relation to other unnamed contract work, Upward was the first instance he saw where names and locations were flat out redacted entirely. There had to be more somewhere. He tried carefully and quickly to flip through the rest of the folder for any other mention of the location before freezing at the sight of his prey. _There_ it was. Spy grinned, pulling out his prize.

There was still a lot redacted, but the more in detail records of his stationing in Upward painted a much clearer picture. Spy couldn’t help but give a small low laugh; the man was transferred this time due to abuse of a _shared security flaw_. How quaint. He quickly sobered though, remembering his job. He quickly took his camera down, and began taking photos of any pages that stood out as useful. He mulled over the information he’d just dug up thoughtfully.

Most of the redacted information had been in relation to additional contract work for the BLU Company; clearly he had deeper ties than most other engineers had with his chosen employer. No information was written down in the analog paper trail however; Spy would have to try to crack the computers to comb through whatever was available digitally then. He closed the engineer’s files and placed them back as he had found them, neatly into the cabinet’s drawers. After fixing the lock, he started suddenly at the sounds of footsteps down the hall.

Shit.

Spy activated his cloak, and moved as quickly as he could out of the way of anyone that could possibly be entering the room. Spy hadn’t set off any alarms when he broke in, so hopefully he wouldn’t be noticed now as well. Spy opened his mouth then closed it when he finally saw the figures that entered the room…it was the blue engineer and spy. He tried to stay as still as possible. What on earth were _they_ doing here? Red Spy probably could have slipped out right now while the door behind them swung open but he couldn’t help but stick around if only out of curiosity. He supposed he’d never been one to play things safe.

The two stopped briefly in front of the filing cabinet Red Spy had been rustling through just moments before; never had he been more thankful to have finished his work in time. Blue Spy for his part thumped the top of the cabinet, gesturing the Blue engineer over.

“As I said earlier, any documents transferred for you when you came were placed here,” the other Spy said in a relaxed tone of voice. “Our layout is the same as the enemy’s thanks to old company ties, but you knew that already.” Blue Spy shrugged. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Red’s Spy already went digging for your records. I went and checked all _their_ employee files on paper when I was first stationed, so don’t be surprised if he did the same.”

“Ah, that’s fine and all. Security’s always been shit ‘round these parts.” The engineer didn’t seem too disturbed by the information, choosing to sit down at one of the chairs by the computer monitors instead. “What about digital records? Y’all also got it to set an alarm off after only one failed try?”

“Only recently…we’ve been a bit behind the other bases as of late.”

Red Spy silently thanked the gods he didn’t try to crack the password by blind guessing alone. That could have ended very badly for him if he had.

“That’s good to hear,” the engineer nodded absently. “So you got the photos of their files I asked for too then?”

The Red Spy froze. Suddenly their reason for meeting in such a private area made more sense.

“But of course,” the Blue Spy grinned. He tossed a folder from the inside of his jacket to the engineer who caught it readily. "Most new transfers aren’t as…prudent as you when they first arrive. They don’t care who they’re fighting as long as they’re well…fighting.”

“I may be newly transferred, but I ain’t a greenhorn,” the engineer replied readily but absentmindedly as he flipped through the folder, stopping only once he got to one set of pages in particular. Red Spy had a hunch as to who it was, considering their brief meeting; well good luck to him. He wouldn’t be able to find much.

“You have an interest in the enemy engineer?” The Blu Spy asked, looking down next to the engineer curiously.

If Red Spy hadn’t been trying to stay unnoticed he would have made a sound of affronted offense. The red engineer? _Really._

“Aw, you know. I was able to get past his sentry spot once last time, but you know how we engineers are; don’t like to get beat at our own game,” the builder laughed softly.

Red Spy rolled his eyes from his corner.

“That’s understandable; most other classes I’m sure feel the same way.”

“What, you don’t?” The engineer joked, looking back towards his new coworker.

Red Spy raised his eyes from the corner as the Blue Spy shrugged back.

“Do I _look_ like I care much what other spies think?”

“I have to admit, you do dress pretty ‘work casual’ now that you mention it,” the engineer chuckled.

 _Work Casual._ The Red Spy scoffed in his head, the side of his mouth curling. The man had fashioned a hoodie out of an evening jacket. He was wearing a baseball cap. Worse…he was wearing _sweatpants_. On _dress shoes_. His mere appearance was an affront to the entire spy profession.

“Nothing wrong with dressing for a little outdoor activity, given where we are.” The Blu Spy replied smoothly, clearly not noticing the enmity being glowered towards him invisibly from the corner of the room. “Shall we head back then?”

“Nah it’s fine, you go on ahead. I’ll read a bit more here by myself if that’s alright.”

“As you wish.”

The Blu Spy gave him a respectful nod before walking out, closing the door behind him. The engineer kept his eyes trained on the door, not looking away until he heard its closing click. The moment it did, he immediately opened the folder more flat on his lap, flipping quickly to the Red Spy’s file. Spy was able to see from his vantage point now and nodded in satisfaction.

The _red engineer._ How laughable.

As the Spy had expected, there weren’t any personal details in there other than a smattering of mail orders he had placed through official channels; anything he actually cared about being on record, he would have had mailed to his private P.O. Box two towns over. His eyes widened in surprise however; was that a photo from one of his team’s past holiday parties? His face scrunched in mild embarrassment; how on earth had _that_ gotten in there? Probably Pauling had taken it, he thought with a frown. He was severely underdressed and noticeably buzzed in that photo too. Horrendous. Awful.

He shook his head briefly to collect himself; never mind all that. That still wasn’t anything _particularly_ useful to the other man. It didn’t matter. Spy studied the engineer's face from where he stood; he was expecting a look of disappointment more so than anything, really. He was mildly surprised then to see his brow furrowed in thoughtful curiosity more than anything.

“…Piano. That’s respectable I s’pose,” the engineer muttered softly. Spy raised an eyebrow. That engineer was trying to research an enemy who would very likely be trying to kill him in merely a day, and was concerning himself with what instrument he played? Not exactly the keeper of the highest priorities. The engineer then shrugged suddenly, closing the folder shut.

“I s’pose it don’t matter,” he sighed to himself as he stretched getting up. “Just never give an inch, and turn the ones they give into a mile,” he shrugged a second time, as he walked out the door. “Like always.”

The door quietly closed shut, as the soft sound of footsteps padded quietly out of earshot. Spy waited a few minutes even so, before slipping out himself. He silently mulled over everything he had overheard as he snuck his way back to home base. In a way, he thought, the two were operating under similar mindsets. To accomplish their goals, both were looking for moments of chaos to capitalize and slip past. To take advantage of the enemy during moments where they couldn’t afford to look back. Of course, knowing how your enemy thought was only half the battle; as Spy continued to make his way back to RED’s base, he started to formulate a plan.


	5. Chapter 5

As was usual before heading out to defend RED’s assets in the Basin, the team met early in one of their base’s briefing rooms. Spy was one of the earliest to show up besides Heavy, sharing a small sociable nod before sitting down next to him. The sounds of Soldier loudly banging on a protesting Scout’s door could still be heard ten hallways down as the others started slowly filing in, some still carrying cups of coffee from the kitchen. Red Engineer came in first still yawning, while the team’s Sniper sat down more to himself in one of the corners, pulling out a mail order catalog to scan. Heavy closed the book he had been reading now that he had more company, folding his reading glasses back into his right pocket.

“Much to discuss before fight,” He said gruffly. Heavy had always been one to get straight to the point.

“The new engineer, I take it you mean.”

“Well,” Heavy shrugged. “Strong first impression.”

“Mm,” Spy agreed, pursing his lips. “I’ve been looking into him; I aim to discuss that more once everyone is here though of course.”

It was at that moment that Demoman banged the doors open, sauntering in. He clearly looked much more cheerful then last time Spy had seen him; then again the last time Spy saw him, he had been getting a firm talking to from Medic.

“Who’s ready to bash some blue heads in?!” He laughed, before plopping down unceremoniously in the other chair next to Spy, pulling out a bottle of liquor. “Ye want some lad? I’m bringin’ out the good stuff today.”

Spy raised a hand in response, shaking his head politely.

“I’m afraid spirits don’t help me quite so much on the battlefield as they do you,” he replied, before lifting an eyebrow. “What’s the occasion?”

The Demoman leaned over almost conspiratorially with a spark of mischief in his eye.

“Let’s just say me and Doc came to an agreement – er. _Compromise_ after last time.”

Spy couldn’t help but give a low chuckle as Heavy shook his head ruefully. Whatever the hell those two were planning, it was bound to be no good for the BLUs.

“SOLDIER AND SCOUT, REPORTING FOR DUTY!”

“OW, OW, OW – HEY LET GO ME YOU FREAK –!”

Looks like Soldier finally managed to drag Scout out of bed; by the ears, plural, from the looks of it. Pyro came shuffling in after, giggling at the display, as Medic cheerfully whistled not far behind. From the looks of it he was toting his Medigun of choice with him for today’s combat – ah. A quick fix; well that explained the Demo’s unbridled excitement for the day’s events. Spy gave a small cough standing up once everyone finally managed to take their seats, Scout’s pouting sulk none withstanding.

“Good morning, gentlemen. I’m sure we’re all ready to avoid a repeat of the other day’s events.”

Demo raised his bottle with a supportive whoop. Spy nodded, before pulling a folder out of his jacket and opening it.

“First order of business; the elephant in the room. I do mean of course, the engineer that slipped past us during our last bout.”

Low grumbles sounded across the room, as nobody had quite forgotten the embarrassment. Spy nodded in shared sympathy.

“Based on the records I found, what happened yesterday was no mere fluke. The man has a history of employing this style of tactic on other battlefronts before his transfer here.” Spy grinned. “The good news however is we can counter it.” He quickly unfolded a map of the Basin, placing it on the table for everyone as Heavy quickly fished out his reading glasses again to look over it.

“So uh, what are these lines supposed to mean?” Scout asked, craning his neck over as Spy tried incredibly hard not to roll his eyes.

“Flank routes,” Heavy replied brusquely.

“Exactly,” Spy said with a grin. “Our problem was twofold; we did not watch our flank routes well enough and we let his teammates separate our frontline. Our goal today is to avoid both these outcomes. Spy tapped the area of the map outlining the tunnel with his hand still holding a cigarette. “This is our weakest point, and where he got past last time.”

“WE WILL DESTROY THE TUNNEL, AND TAKE DOWN ANYONE WHO EVEN _TRIES_ TO TOUCH IT!” Soldier banged his fist on the table with enthusiasm, shaking it.

“Unfortunately not an option,” Spy cut in quickly before Soldier could get more carried away.

“…Aw.”

“I was considering instead a change of pace.”

At this, Spy looked towards the Sniper, who for his part kept his gaze level.

“…Yeah?”

“Usually you tend to start the rounds with your scope on the left side gates. Starting from our end of the tunnel instead could be the setup for a good surprise tactic.”

Sniper nodded slowly, catching his drift.

“I can do that.”

“Thank you. Engineer, are there any areas near our first defensive holding that can cover the two hillside routes within a sentry’s range?”

“…Well,” Engineer said thoughtfully, “I s’pose there is near a certain outcropping of rocks by the top right.” He tapped the bottom of his chin as he continued to think it over. “The only issue is it won’t cover our end of the tracks if they manage to get the cart past the tunnel…I’ll have to move it at that point if they do.”

“We’ll try to avoid that if we can,” Spy replied kindly. “Do what you must if we are unable however. Either way, we should have all flank routes covered; as long as we don’t allow them to stagger us in confusion like last time, their engineer should not have the same openings he did before.”

“Main focus should still be enemy heavy and medic.” The Red Heavy finally added his two cents, after he finished appraising the map. “They push well; confusion helped.”

Spy nodded in agreement.

“While I will try to keep my eye on the engineer, that pair will stay my focus.”

“That works then,” Heavy grunted, satisfied.

“Everyone else should be fine playing to their usual strengths.” Spy paused for a second. “Scout however; don’t run too close to their spawn doors this time.”

“Hey!”

“…As for you two,” Spy continued, ignoring the scout as he eyed the grinning demo and medic across the table. “I’m sure whatever you already have planned will cause chaos enough.”

“Aye cheers, I’ll drink to that.”

“Good talk then,” Heavy said with some finality, getting up. “Let’s go.”

“Alright, about time!” Scout shot up immediately first, running straight out the door eager as the rest followed Heavy’s suit. Spy carefully pushed his folder back into his front jacket; if everything went according to plan, then he was looking forward to seeing that enemy engineer lose his smirk.

It didn’t take long to get to their stations from the main base, thankfully. Time was of the essence though, as everyone started moving quickly to prepare for their first hold by BLU’s initial spawn. Spy for his part activated his cloaking watch, making a quick jump and a climb to his favorite starting perch of rocks. He scanned his eyes over BLU’s fenced gates, examining the enemies waiting inside as the time began to tick down. Most of the BLUs stayed wary of the left entrance, expecting the red sniper’s scope to be locked there at the start. Spy couldn’t help but feel a grin twitch at that. Hopefully Sniper would be able to catch a few by surprise at his new starting location. The horn over the speakers finally blared, and the match began as Spy continued to look down.

The first thing to come out of spawn wasn’t any of the BLUs, but rather a ball of electricity, taking out most of his Demoman’s door sticky traps. Spy raised his eyebrows, trying to ignore the Demo’s angry swearing. That had to be the engineer; so, he was taking a short circuit with him early. That should be interesting. The blue engineer ducked using the cart for cover as his heavy and medic rushed out after him, choosing to uber early into the red demo and medic this time around.

It was a good thing then that the medic brought a quick fix from the start; demo was able to jump both of them out to safety, and just in time too. No opportunity to strike yet. Spy looked over at the blue engineer now, who continued to shoot lightning balls up sporadically at the clearly frustrated red soldier. Spy could see Soldier finally get fed up, as he switched to shooting down with his shotgun instead; he let out a small sound of sympathy under his breath. The carts used to carry those bombs were unfortunately equipped with a very rudimentary style of dispenser prototype; as long as the engineer stayed closed to it, he’d be able to keep shooting those disruptive flashes of lightning as long as he liked. Spy had two options now; go for the heavy and medic, or go for the engineer.

To Spy at least, the choice was clear. He made his way towards the combo, trusting his Sniper to handle the other man still on the cart. As the two were distracted trying to gun down the engineer’s sentry Spy slipped in, getting a quick stab on the heavy and running out just as quick before the lone medic could do anything in return. Red Scout ran in gleefully smelling blood as the blue medic swore, pulling out his saw. Spy’s earpiece at that moment crackled to life.

“Engineer shot down in the tunnels.” Sniper’s voice; ah, right on cue. There was a small pause. “Enemy demo shot down in the tunnels too.”

Quick ‘good works’ were exchanged, Spy just happy he wouldn’t have to chase someone down in his own backline yet another time. He circled around the rocks on the high ground, avoiding getting caught in the crossfire with his teammates. Craning his neck over the ledge, he looked down at whoever on the enemy was active below; it appeared as if the blue engineer had placed a dispenser and sentry near the left side of the tunnel entrance, steering quite clear of the red sniper’s sightline. Spy grinned for a second before frowning, as he saw the blue heavy and medic climb up from that direction too.

Oh that wouldn’t do; if he went for a stab on them now, from that vantage point the engineer’s sentry would shoot him down…and if he went for the sentry first, he’d be dealing with three people trying to kill him in return as opposed to just one. The engineer wasn’t close enough to his buildings to go for a stab and sap either; Spy had to make a decision, and fast. The engineer was far enough on the right side now that Spy could maybe go for a stab and activate cloak in time before the sentry bullets hit. He turned on his mic as he jumped down.

“Heavy and Medic going up left side; there is a blue sentry down just below making things difficult for me. I’m going after the engineer on right.”

“LEFT SIDE, ROGER!”

“Aye, we’ll try and push ‘em back with what uber we still got!”

Spy heard an affirmative muffled sound from the Pyro too as he made his way over to his mark, looking behind himself before deactivating cloak. The blue engineer had rescue rangered the sentry to him, probably hoping to get it into a better vantage point, maybe to wrangle if he switched to the other device. This actually worked out in Spy’s favor; now a stab and sap was possible, as long as the man stayed distracted. Nobody noticed the Red Spy as he started homing in close.

Well.

Nobody until the blue soldier saw fit to rocket jump right next to him.

_Fuck._

Spy tried not to wince in pain as the blast hit him, the engineer suddenly turning around to look behind, startled. Well. That ruined things.

Spy’s demo and medic came charging in on the left side, catching the blue heavy and medic off guard; his soldier shot down from above as well, expecting an additional sentry but getting nothing in return.

He heard the blue sniper yell out for a spy and begin running towards him, as the blue engineer turned with his wranglered sentry now up, ready to shoot.

Spy quickly turned around towards the blue sniper; if he was going to die, he’d be damned if he didn’t take someone down with him. He dodged the wrangler shots and ran straight at the sniper coming towards him with his own knife out. The rocks Spy liked to gain early viewing advantage from were now blocking the sentry’s sights, as he juked the Sniper’s first swing quickly, predicting where the man’s back would be with his movement’s momentum next. Another juke just as quickly the opposite way, and he was able to find a stab, letting the bushman’s body fall down into the dust. The engineer made as if to switch back to his primary gun, as Spy turned immediately back around to him.

His mic crackled to life just then, and in that moment he suspected the same information he was now hearing was being relayed into the blue team’s mics too.

“Spy’s sapping my sentry!”

The red engineer. Spy knew just then exactly what the blue engineer was definitely going to try to do.

There was no switching to a gun now – the Spy lunged forward as the engineer grinned and crouched, shooting down into his own boots as he jumped. The man went flying, like any soldier or demoman would - the best Spy could do was throw a sapper onto the infernal gun of his before the engineer could teleport it along with him.

Spy made a mad dash, as he heard his own team’s sentry come back online from above, thanks in no small part to the work of his team’s pyro.

“Engineer getting behind!” Spy yelled into his mic, greeted by exasperated curses back.

“I’m comin, I’m comin!” Red scout immediately turned around from where he was and dashed behind with him, going faster ahead. “I’m runnin’ towards spawn side!”

“Good!” Spy gasped, as he finally made the turn. “I’ll check behind roof!”

They split, Spy running up the stairs as fast as he could. There was more ground to cover in the other direction, and with Scout’s speed he’d be able to handle casing it better then Spy could. Putting on a new disguise once he got to the top, Spy took a breather, looking cautiously around.

The crazed fool had jumped without even a moment’s hesitation; odds were he got a little sloppy, and would be looking for one of the permanent area sub dispensers to heal his wounds from that kind of ridiculous move. The Basin had many sub dispensers pre-installed in multiple locations, most distributing bottles of healing fluid, ammo, and metal to anyone looking. This of course meant they saw _a lot_ of use, but despite this, their lack of upkeep meant the recharge rates could be painfully slow. Spy silently checked the two up top first; no health taken, but Spy took the ammo refills anyway just so that the Engineer couldn’t get them himself for a while if he came back up.

Spy looked down behind the roof, and snorted, seeing a blue teleporter slowly unfold behind one of the shipping crates. So the man _had_ gone back here. Just his luck. Spy switched on his mic as he jumped down, placing a sapper. He smiled when he heard soft cursing from nearby before silently cloaking, turning on his mic.

“Blue engineer behind roof,” Spy whispered. “I can handle it. Focus the frontline.”

He promptly turned it back off, before walking in the direction he heard the offending voice come from. As he had expected; the engineer was downing a bottle of healing fluids from one of the sub dispensers in the far corner. The man grimaced, before pulling out his gun.

“You’re here, aren’t you Spook?”

Spy was expecting anger, malice, possibly even fear in the other man’s voice as he watched the eyes behind the goggles look critically around. The engineer’s voice stayed calm and natural though, as he sighed pacing slowly around. The builder still had metal, but didn’t bother to activate a new building, not even a sentry gun. Honestly, they both knew it would be futile. With the slow activation time, Spy would be able to gun whatever the engineer dropped, leaving the man with no metal at all. Spy didn’t bother leaving cloak however anyway; he wanted to observe him. The engineer frowned, quirking an eyebrow up.

“Don’t want to fight? Suit yourself then.”

Spy rolled his eyes at the obvious bait as he for his part had already started pacing away backwards silently. His end goal for his own reasons involved making his way back to the roof. He knew after all how he wanted to take the engineer out. Spy didn’t take his eyes off the engineer once, who only sighed down below a second time. It appeared as if he finally decided to take his chances with another teleporter exit dropped. Once Spy was back up he decloaked, in full assurance now that the other wouldn’t have heard. Perfect.

He watched the engineer jog forward now, making for one of the sub-dispensers that actually carried metal across the expanse. Clearly he was reluctant to teleport and refill at spawn while he knew the Spy was still there. Spy kept track of his footspeed and distance, timing his jump back down below just right. With a thud, he landed right on the engineer’s back and dug his knife in, relishing in the man’s surprised hiss of pain. Ah, how the tables have turned.

“Oh dear,” Spy grinned in obvious mirth. “I’ve made _quite_ a mess.”

He wrenched the knife back out without much care, waiting for the man’s last dying gasp before handling the business of his teleporter exit. Now that the moment was over, the adrenaline started to seep out. Spy sighed to himself now as he placed down a sapper on the exit, turning back to his mic.

“Blue engineer down. Teleporter destroyed.”

He didn’t listen too well to the responses from the rest of his team, or even Scout as the other passed running on his way back. Despite a clear victory, Spy was still undoubtedly bothered. It had barely been one second. One second…one single second. One solitary crack in his team’s defense and the man took advantage of it with barely any hesitation at all. The day wasn’t over yet.

They still had a long time to go.

The rest of the day, the REDs were able to hold first well. They nearly were able to keep BLU back entirely at first alone if it hadn’t been for their pyro’s airblast saving them near the end. The mosh pit as the seconds counted down was in full swing, as everyone who could was diving onto the cart without much care really for their lives. That one airblast kept the REDs off the bomb just long enough to register the checkpoint as open on the railroad track, forcing them all to fight even longer just to hold BLU at bay before the next. Red Spy switched off his role as medic harassment at this point with his team’s scout and sniper, as only he honestly could handle dealing with the engineer’s teleporter from spawn.

It was a back and forth dance between the two of them, he and the engineer; Spy sapped and gunned down the entrance while the engineer saved his exit and teleported back. Spy took care of anyone forced to walk during the interim period, and hid whenever the pyro’s flames started checking nearby. Rinse, wash, repeat.

The grueling fight continued, but BLU finally managed to break even through second. Much to the RED’s dismay, the blue spy had managed to backcap by hiding himself around the cart, activating the second check. Now the teleporter was more important than ever, as the spawn point for BLU was still the same, but the distance to third was longer than ever. The dance continued.

By now whenever the Spy managed to take out the entrance, the other members of BLU were paranoid on their way back to the hold, gunning around themselves as they tried to make their way past unharmed. Spy let them shoot, and picked off other teammates instead. The pyro would inevitably burst their flames around, clearly upset at having to stay back and look for him instead of being where they wanted to be – namely in the middle of the frontline’s fray.

Wasting their time was the name of the game now for Spy. Admittedly keeping the teleporter down was harder the way this engineer was operating. He could teleport to and from spawn, making a run back to take out the rest of the gear while unattended an impossible task. The teleporter was highest priority however; he knew he could trust his teammates to handle the rest.

Gun down the entrance; kill any fresh spawns as the engineer teleported back. Hide quickly from the paranoid under cloak. Rinse, wash, repeat. At one point while the engineer placed down a new teleporter, Spy gunned it down instead for a change from above, laughing when the man gave a shout and started shooting back. The engineer ran back up and for a moment they had a one on one gun duel, before Spy saw the enemy pyro jog up, and quickly slipped away once again.

Despite the RED team’s best efforts, the BLU team still managed to rally a push through third anyhow, moving Spy’s paranoia game up to a new spawn point. Three checkpoints they had managed, but the hardest to break had always of course, been last. RED managed to drag every last drop of seconds out, finally securing a win; by then Spy was exhausted. As amusing as playing cat and mouse was, he had still nearly died multiple times throughout. He actually _had_ died one or two times throughout, but always managed to slide his way back.

As the announcer calmly congratulated them over their earpieces, Spy sighed, stretching his back as he looked down from the roof he had been hiding up on. The defeated mercenaries of BLU looked just as dejected as RED had looked after their last loss, grumbling as they made their way from their last spawn back to their base. The blue engineer was a bit further behind all the rest, his attentions more focused on whatever he was scribbling away in a small notebook as he walked. From his vantage point Spy could see his facial expression, and paused.

It was as if the man hadn’t realized they’d lost; the blue engineer was still smiling. It almost felt as if Spy’s brain was playing tricks on him. He was smiling even wider then he had been last time.

Spy sighed, sliding his back down onto the floor of the concrete, pulling out another smoke. Clearly, he hadn’t figured the man out as well as he thought he had. He’d have to do more research later; for now, he just wanted to rest.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun had barely risen above the BLU base, but the Engineer was still up and awake as he rustled around in the kitchen for supplies. By now he had become a little more acquainted with his teammates over the last few days, but he knew he was still in many senses an outsider to them. Well, it made sense after all; like most teams on any stationed outpost, they’ve been working together for a long time before he arrived. By now Engie had moved between teams often enough to pretty much have gotten used to that feeling of not entirely fitting in, even after weeks or even months of integration. Inevitably, he'd end up moving again anyway so he never bothered really trying. Well, not this time, he thought with some determination as he finally got everything he needed to make a good pie crust alongside a functioning food processor.

This time, he was going to make an _effort_.

And what better way to ingratiate yourself than through food?

He combined flour with a teaspoon of salt into a bowl, before dumping it all into the processor and pulsing a few times. Now for the butter; he opened the lid of the appliance and placed in the grating attachment, using it to press two sticks of butter into the mix. He grunted in satisfaction at the results before turning the mix out into a bowl yet again for easier combination.

For once he wasn’t planning, or even hoping to get moved anytime soon. He alternated between adding a few tablespoons of ice water into the bowl and mixing slowly until the dough started looking like it was just holding its form. Taking it out of the bowl and onto the work table, he began kneading it into a cohesive shape. The enemy team he had found, was particularly fun; they put up a strong challenge, and his teammates were quite good and willing to work with him as well. Engie hadn’t had this much fun since his time in Upward, come to think of it. At the reminder of Upward he paused, wrinkling his nose; forget about Upward. He was here now. Quickly he pushed the thoughts of his previous locale away, refocusing instead on the task at hand.

Looks like the dough was ready for its time in the fridge – he pulled out a piece of plastic from the roll he had nearby and wrapped it into a thick round disc. Setting his mental timer to thirty minutes he placed it into the chill before returning to the table, cleaning the rest of his mess up. He paused for a second time now, as he started doing some math in his head; there were nine of them in the base altogether. The engineer sighed; one pie wasn’t going to cut it. He quickly got the ingredients out again, preparing everything to make a second dough crust. Hopefully two would be just enough.

He found his mind wandering back to the enemy team as he continued his work. They _were_ quite good, after all. They coordinated together; thought well. Problem solved. Engineer grinned; especially that enemy Spy. That man was the one who gave him the most trouble, proved the hardest challenge, and Engie was looking forward to seeing him on the battlefield another time. It was a shame the paper files on the fella had been so sparse…there was of course still the computer files, but his own Spy might get well…suspicious if he asked. Engie paused over his kneading with the fresh dough for a moment, a realization coming to his head. Well…nobody ever said that _he_ couldn’t try to break in himself.

Before he could really consider that thought further, his epiphany was interrupted by the sounds of arguing quietly from further away – Engineer cursed silently in his head. The only reason he was up this early after all was to get these damn pies ready before anyone else was up. He had things he needed to work on this afternoon in his workshop after all. And well, his other work that didn’t require discussing. He also had that to contend with later too. He silently hoped whoever it was would walk right past the kitchen while handling his freshly finished dough, but no dice. The blue spy and scout unceremoniously banged their way in. Blue Spy for his part looked particularly irritated as he dragged the scout in by the ear of one hand and held a box in his other of what appeared to be cheap cigarettes.

Not the kind of brand he would normally associate with spies…but then again the Spy stationed here was an odd duck, Engie supposed. It didn’t look like the brand the Spy was currently puffing on in a temper though, so maybe not. The two paused and looked at each other, the blue scout still cursing loudly at the pain being applied to his ear.

“…Hello Engineer. I didn’t expect to see you here,” the Spy finally said after a blink.

“…Likewise,” was all the engineer could manage back, trying to keep his face from reddening. As much as he wanted to put effort into fitting in, he didn’t want to _look_ like he was putting in too much effort. With fitting in that is.

“Ow – would you – would you just let go?!”

Blue Spy immediately snapped his attentions back to the offending scout, frowning once again. He quickly dragged him over to one of the tables instead of listening, doubling the loudness of Scout’s cursing. The Engineer gave a low whistle, at the point now where he could put his newly wrapped pie crust dough next to the other one in the fridge. Whatever Scout had gotten himself up to so early, it had gotten the Spy _clean_ mad. Engineer kept track of the two quietly, busying himself with cleaning and preparing his table for the next steps in his process in the meantime.

As Scout sulked, Spy threw the box of cigarettes he had been holding in the kitchen trash before turning to him once again.

“What were you _thinking_?” he hissed.

“Hey look man,” Scout protested. “EVERYONE on this base smokes, alright?” He paused for a second. “Well almost everyone. I mean come on, YOU smoke! You’re smoking right now!”

“That is because I am a lost cause!” Spy nearly shouted back, hands now up in the air. “These things will _kill_ you! But clearly you knew you were in the wrong, or I wouldn’t have caught you skulking about behind the vents attempting to light one!”

“Only because you throw a fit every time you catch me, old man!”

Engineer dusted his hands awkwardly as he finished preparing his workstation, not sure what to do in this situation. Should he _leave?_ He didn’t want to leave. He was here first after all; if anything he should be the one telling _them_ to take this somewhere else. The blue spy turned around and made eye contact with him now, causing him to freeze. Oh no.

“Engineer,” Spy began, with every clear intention of dragging him into this. “Do you smoke, by any chance?”

He smoked like a chimney if he was being perfectly honest with himself.

“Well…” Engie said carefully with some hesitance, trying to choose his words wisely. “…I do smoke a little bit, I guess you could say. Can’t deny that.”

“See?!” Scout cut in now indignantly.

“Wait just a moment,” Spy said as he stopped him, pursing his lips. “Thank you for your honesty, Engineer,” he continued, looking back now to the still very uncomfortable Engie. “And would you say this habit has affected you adversely in any way?”

Engineer paused for a short moment to think on it. He supposed he did get a horrendous itch for one of the darn things if he didn’t get a smoke in before the near end of the afternoon.

“I mean…it’s a hard habit to drop once you pick it up,” he shrugged. “I read it gets all up in your lungs too. That can’t be good for someone in the business of runnin’ around like the kid.”

Spy turned around in triumph now to the Scout who still had his arms crossed angrily, clearly not liking the feeling of being ganged up on. He shot a death glare to the Engineer, who tried to shrug sympathetically, making a pained face.

“Listen,” Spy sighed. “You heard the man. Even he agrees. Once you start, it is very. _Very_ hard to stop. And for someone in your job specifically, that can cut your career short –” He paused suddenly before biting his lip. Engineer couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow; what made the man stop?

“Yeah yeah, I get it,” Scout muttered, starting to cool down thankfully. He was still frowning though, shooting daggers back up towards the Spy. “Where the hell do you think you’re comin’ from though calling yourself a lost cause? Bullshit.”

It was Spy’s turn to pause now, looking back at him.

“I’m not the one we are discussing here,” he frowned.

“Well maybe you should be the one we’re _discussin’_ here,” Scout said now, beginning to look smug. “You think smokin’ is so bad then you gotta stop too. Engie, you agree with me right?”

Engineer scratched the back of his head, trying to look anywhere else. “…Uh…”

“Oh don’t bring him into it –”

“Hey, hey, you brought him into this first –”

Engineer shook his head finding himself being the one frowning now, as he tried to snap out of it. He had pies to bake, and he needed these two to get out _now_ if he was going to accomplish anything before he had to work on his actual job matters for the rest of the day.

“Listen. Fellas,” he tried to interject between them, putting a relaxing hand on the Spy’s shoulder before he blew a gasket. “I don’t mean to tell y’all what to do but. Why not compromise on this? How about y’all…both work on the _not smoking_ thing?”

He gave the blue spy a better look now, whose expression he gave back was almost unreadable. Engineer gave him another sympathetic pat.

“…You have to admit,” Engie continued soothingly, “It’s hard for someone to hear not to do somethin’ when you’re doing that thing too.”

Spy gave a low sigh, as Scout’s face started to split wide into a grin of victory.

“…Alright,” the other man finally relented reluctantly. “I will _try_ to quit…” he pointed accusingly at the Scout now. “But don’t let me catch you again.”

“Hey I’m not the one who’s gotta worry about getting ‘caught’ from now on, am I? Now gimme that.”

Scout immediately got up, grabbing Spy’s cigarette from his own mouth before he could protest, spluttering. Engie for his part hid his mouth behind his hand, trying not to laugh. Scout’s newfound smugness could obliterate the sun, but at least he was more cheerful now. He practically hopped up now from his seat, looking over curiously now to Engie’s table.

“You cookin’ something up there hardhat?”

“I’m baking actually,” Engineer replied smoothly as he almost jogged quickly back to his table before Scout could touch anything. “I’m making pies…apple pies.”

“Aw, sweet!” Scout was excited now, looking over the Engineer’s setup.

Spy walked over too now having gotten over Scout’s move; cautiously, he looked over as well.

“…I wasn’t aware you could bake,” the masked man said evenly now, more subdued.

Engineer shrugged, trying to stay nonchalant about it.

“Just one of those things I picked up from my Ma.” Engie paused now, suddenly remembering the time. “Speaking of. I got dough to take out of the fridge. If y’all wouldn’t mind giving me some space…”

The two immediately did as he asked, as the Engineer quickly pulled out his wrapped dough, bringing it back to the table. Scout watched eagerly, hovering around.

“Oh man, we haven’t had anything like that fresh in ages!” He watched in fascination as the engineer shook some flour on the table before going through the process of reportioning out his dough.

“What’re you doin’ that for?”

“I’m making these double pie crust and I’m makin two of ‘em,” Engineer answered conversationally, as he put half the portioned off dough straight back to the fridge. “I was originally plannin’ on just ONE pie, but I reconsidered the math,” he chuckled.

Engineer began to roll out the rest of his dough over the floured work surface, flouring more only once he saw necessary. He then used his rolling pin to spool up his newly formed flat discs, before unspooling them both back over their awaiting pie plates.

“Now you don’t just want to press this pie dough into the corners son,” Engineer said with some concentration. “You want to _lift_ and _drop_ it into the corners...that way you don’t stretch the pie dough.”

“…Oh,” Scout said, before frowning when he saw Engineer take the plates back to the fridge. “Don’t you gotta uh…put those in the oven?”

“Not yet, boy. They gotta rest in the fridge for another thirty minutes.” Engineer couldn’t help but chuckle once again at Scout’s clear unhappiness at the concept of waiting longer.

“That’s baking for ya’ – time management and patience is key.”

“Huh…need any help with anything? Shouldn’t you make the filling while waiting at least?” Scout looked up at him expectantly.

“…Well,” Engineer said after a short pause. “I won’t be working on the filling until after I put that base in to actually bake but. I s’pose I wouldn’t mind an extra pair of hands peeling the apples once I get to that part.”

“Aw, yes!” Scout exclaimed, pumping a fist into the air. “Hey I know what’ll pass the time, I got these comics in my room! You wait – you wait right there, I’ll be right back!” Scout made a mad dash for his room, leaving the Engineer and the blue spy alone. A silence for a short moment seemed to blanket between them as they both examined each other cautiously.

“…Thank you.”

The Engineer blinked. “Beggin’ your pardon?”

“Thank you,” the Spy repeated himself once again. “You were of good help dealing with that…situation.” The Spy grimaced.

“Aw, weren’t nothin’ at all,” Engineer shrugged as he settled down. “I’m happy to help.”

“…Likewise.”

The rest of the baking process did feel as if it went by much quicker with his newfound company, Engie couldn’t help but think now. Scout was the type to ask a lot of questions during the process, and Engie was perfectly comfortable with answering each one conversationally.

It _was_ nice to have someone to help him peel all those apples too, he had to admit. Engineer had been pleasantly surprised at how well and quickly Scout had been able to peel, bragging about how ‘his brothers had passed all the chores they didn’t like to him, so he was a pro at this sort of thing, obviously.’ Blue Spy for his part kept to himself at one of the other tables and merely observed, only commenting words of encouragement occasionally.

Finally, the pies completed were in the ovens for their final bake, and the aromas that wafted out the kitchen were more than pleasant. Engineer found himself flipping in amusement during this wait period through one of Scouts comics, as the boy tried to explain in great detail the plot of one to an incredibly confused Spy.

“IS THAT THE SMELL OF AN ALL AMERICAN APPLE PIE? DON’T LIE TO ME BOYS, I CAN SNIFF YOU OUT LIKE A STARVED RACOON.”

Looks like the rest of their teammates were starting to wake up and hunger up, Engie mused as he looked up from a particular comic he had been perusing about a masked vigilante man in particularly flattering tights.

“Heck yeah, me and the fellas got to doin’ some baking, I was a big contribution, you’re welcome – ow!” Scout was interrupted by Spy elbowing him and shooting a look. He changed his tune sheepishly.

“…Okay, it was Engie. I still helped though.”

Engineer tried to hold back a laugh as best as he could.

“You sure did, son.”

He’d put a bookmark on his plans to break into the RED’s base later. It would require a lot of forethought and planning, especially without the usage of the more helpful equipment any other Spy would have. Engie couldn’t help but grin though; it was certainly one hell of a challenge, and one he had never attempted before at that. Looks like that Red Spy gave him something to puzzle over even off the battlefield, without even trying. Engineer looked forward to figuring the man out more.


	7. Chapter 7

It was late evening when the blue engineer returned back to his team’s base, parking his truck next to the other cars in the garage. His additional work with BLU had gone longer than expected, and he was still bit irritable over it. Engie picked up his toolbox from the seat next to him with a sigh, before finally exiting and making his way back indoors. Down the halls he went, making his way over to the workshop reserved just for him.

Once he had it in his sights, his pace quickened until he could swiftly close the padlocked doors to it behind him. With a thud he dropped his toolbox, stretching for a short moment before taking his jacket off and getting down to work. He had one more task on his plate left to handle for the night, although this one was a bit more personal than the others. He started drawing out materials and plans, jittery with excitement.

Engineer hadn’t forgotten his sudden realization from only this morning; in fact, he had been mulling over the conundrums of the task ahead all day. He knew the actual floor plans of RED’s base and their security systems were near identical to BLU’s own first off, making the biggest part of the puzzle much easier to solve. Both security systems relied on information relayed from the respawn systems, and if there was anything the blue engineer knew about in incredible detail, it was the systems that made respawn work.

He pulled out the sketches he had for a device he’d jotted down earlier in the day and set them down next to some clean blueprint paper before he began drafting schematics in a haze. The way security for both teams worked was that alarms would go off if anyone within the building was not in fact linked to the respawn’s database. The only exception to this of course being those who were granted clearance to visit without requiring respawn hookup.

That was of course the loophole that a spy’s arsenal including a cloak or disguise kit could take advantage of; the devices tricked the security’s analysis of them into thinking they had that clearance. For Engineer though, he had to get a little more creative. He grinned as he stopped to crack his hands for a bit, surveying his work; the design was quite clever, really.

The thing about the respawn system that not many people knew about was that a lot of the building blocks behind it were the same building blocks behind the technology that made teleportation work. When a person or object is being teleported from one location to another, there is a brief moment where there mass is being moved too fast for their information to be properly relayed to any other connected systems outside of it; a bit of lag delay, if you will. This of course, extended to the connection between respawn and the base’s alarm system.

The device he designed was wearable; and what it did was mimic that brief moment of unreadability permanently on his person as a feedback loop, tricking the systems and allowing him to walk in from any of the side entrances to the building undetected. The engineer gave a low grunt as he began pulling out the physical materials he would need next; if he pulled an all-nighter, he could have an initial prototype ready before the end of the night. All he’d have to worry about after tricking the security systems themselves would be the next most important step…tricking the actual members of RED inside.

He frowned as he paused over his work; if he was going to be walking around their halls, he absolutely needed to consider the business of an additional disguise. Quickly he turned back to his other desk, pulling out the photos of the paper employee files he had his own Spy take for him just a few days ago. He laid out the records from his small notebook down next to them, containing his detailed observations from his last two bouts with the enemy. Keeping good record of his thoughts while they were fresh he found was good when working on any future strategies that cropped up, much like now.

Silently, Engie critically scanned all the photos before him; he could _maybe_ pass as the red engineer, but the man had a beard and a more grown out head of hair. Most of the other mercs didn’t quite match his body type or had their own issues that got in the way as well.

Engineer paused then slowly when he got to the file on the enemy team’s pyro. They had roughly the same build, roughly the same height, and more importantly, the Pyro was completely covered from head to toe. At the thought, he quickly grabbed the Pyro’s file and examined it more closely, comparing the contents feverishly to his own set of notes.

He’d seen pyros like this one before; the protective type. They usually gravitated towards a team’s engineer or medic, acting almost like a personal bodyguard. The one on RED from what he’d seen favored the enemy’s engineer and stuck quite fiercely with him. The personality type was loyal, but still naïve; a bitch to deal with on the actual battlefield, but easy enough to manipulate outside. _Very_ easily bribed. Engie gave a low whistle, as he put down the files and considered the base’s map. Both bases had an outdoor shed a little out of the way, mainly for storing random bits of junk. Very infrequently visited.

He could absolutely lure the Pyro into there and lock the door behind. With enough distractions in the shed to occupy the firebug, he’d have more than enough time to play identity thief behind their back. He could also order the same uniform easily enough from a Mann Co. depot; as long as he wore a vaguely red shirt when he walked inside, the staff were incompetent enough to not double check his actual company affiliations.

At this, the engineer cracked a smile, before turning back to the work on his masking device; the plan was all starting to come together. Once the pyro was out of the way and he was inside wearing that same jumpsuit and mask, he’d be good to go. A Spy’s form of disguising was so used these days that the idea of someone masquerading around in a more traditional one wouldn’t immediately come to anyone’s mind. For most mercs it had become almost a force of habit, slapping or giving anyone a small smack with some force to trigger the telltale visuals of a Spy’s broken disguise. With this approach, that wouldn’t be an issue for him.

If Engie needed to escape quickly, he could bring his teleporter wrench with him as well; actually if he was going to be breaking into RED anyway, he might as well pack along a deployable teleporter exit to make any return visits go much smoother.

The Engineer gave a low hum as he started drilling into a few pieces of metal on the table; as to actually breaking into the computer itself, he was more than ready for that ahead of time thankfully. Code breaking was a bit of a hobby for him, so he had the necessary devices already on standby. Tomorrow was going to be an interesting day, Engie supposed as he got on with his work.

He was of course unfortunately right to assume the work on his invention would require pulling an all-nighter. He couldn’t remember when exactly he had fallen asleep, but he was face first snoring lightly over his finished project when he woke with a start to the team’s Soldier banging on the doors just outside. Engineer silently cursed to himself as he immediately shot up, hobbling his way over to unlock it. What time even was it?

“I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE, HARDHAT! I WILL NOT, I REPEAT NOT, ALLOW YOU TO MISS BREAKFAST HOUR! YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS TO OPEN THE DOOR BEFORE I OPEN IT FOR YOU! ON THE COUNT OF TEN! TEN! NINE…”

Oh thank god it was still morning.

“I’m comin’ son, I’m comin’ alright, hold your horses!”

The knocking immediately stopped at the sounds of engineer’s clinking struggles with the locks. At least the man was able to exercise _some_ level of patience, Engie grumbled to himself as he finally pushed the doors open. The two stared at each other for a second as the Soldier analyzed his presence up and down.

“…YOUR APPEARANCE IS A DISGRACE!”

“Well thank you kindly,” the engineer began to reply with a lacing of sarcasm before he suddenly found himself dragged forcefully out and down the hall. “I – Hey, what’s the idea?!”

“YOU MAY THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH NOT SLEEPING BUT THERE WILL BE _NO_ GETTING AWAY WITH NOT EATING UNDER MY WATCH, MISTER!”

Engineer sighed, finding himself unable to protest with that logic; he really did probably look like shit honestly. Working until you conked out snoring over your table would do that to you. Honestly, he felt a grudging sense of thankfulness to the louder man…although the excessive manhandling was a bit over the top.

Once they made it to the kitchen, he felt himself get pushed roughly down into one of the kitchen chairs, before the Soldier stomped over to the stove. The blue Spy was sitting across from him drinking coffee over a newspaper before he looked up, raising an eyebrow as he looked towards him.

“Good morning, Engineer.”

“Er…good morning Spy,” Engie replied half distracted as he tried to get up before the Soldier threateningly waved a pan in his face.

“YOU WILL NOT MOVE. THAT IS AN ORDER.”

Engineer blinked; was the man attempting to make _him_ breakfast?

“You don’t have to go through the trouble, I can cook for myself –”

The Soldier had already started aggressively cracking eggs into the frying pan he had placed on the stovetop. Engineer sighed, before sliding back down into his seat in defeat. His eyes met the blue Spy’s once again who was clearly finding humor in the whole thing.

“Just let it happen; it’s easier for everyone this way,” Spy grinned before taking another sip of from his drink. “He was quite upset when he saw we were missing our…newest member here today. Everyone else has already eaten.”

“…Oh.” Engineer felt a little sheepish.

Normally he didn’t work _that_ late; his current project was just a special case.

“Oh yes, he does this all the time to those late in the mornings. Which means mainly Scout,” Spy chuckled. “Consider yourself lucky. Soldier’s expertise in the field of cooking extends only so far as the menu of your average ‘Waffle House’ eatery. Anything else ends in disaster.”

“…You don’t say?” Engineer replied cautiously.

“Oh yes. On numerous occasions, Soldier has served Scout cereal with coffee creamer in it.” Spy looked at Engineer more seriously now. “I had to slide him pieces of pity bacon.”

Engineer gave a small jump when he heard Soldier march loudly back over to them, carrying two plates and a now sizzling pan of food. He slammed one of the plates in front of the Engineer, and one in front of the empty chair next to him, before sliding half the bacon and eggs equally onto both.

As he marched on back to grab coffee, Engineer carefully poked his eggs with a fork, unsure if he could trust his plate. Slowly, he took a small testing bite.

Huh. Not bad actually.

By the time Soldier returned with their coffees, the Engineer was eating in earnest. Engie gave Soldier a quick thumbs up while his mouth was still stuffed, before grabbing his coffee to wash it all down. The Soldier for his part only nodded before tearing into his food as well. Finally finishing his meal, Engineer was actually starting to feel more than a little bit better. He made a sound of satisfaction as he downed the last of his coffee before getting up.

“Thanks again, Soldier.”

If Soldier responded with actual words, Engie for his part couldn’t tell what they were as the man attempted to talk with his mouth full.

“He means to tell you if he catches you late again, he’ll drag you by both ears like he does to Scout,” Spy translated barely holding back a grin.

“Ah…” Engie muttered, scrunching his face. He’d have to be more careful in the future then.

Soldier for his part simply raised his mug in response before digging back in as Spy smirked.

“…Well anyway,” Engineer continued before clearing his throat. “I’m heading into town to buy some supplies today. Anyone need something?”

“Scout’s motorbike broke down yesterday,” Spy responded matter of factly. “You should ask him; he’s been waiting for you to wake up in the rec room.”

“Oh. Uh…I’ll do that then.”

Engineer made his exit as quickly as possible after putting his plates away, still feeling awkward over the whole affair. Well, never mind all that. First things first, Scout; Engineer made his way over to the rec room, opening the door. He saw Scout squinting in concentration at a gameboard with Heavy across the table, as Sniper and Demo sat nearby listening keenly to a radio program.

“…Hey Scout? Spy said you wanted to talk to me about some bike problems.”

Upon hearing his voice Scout shot up as Heavy shrugged, closing the gameboard now up.

“It’s about time, man! Dunno what’s wrong with it, and I wanted to go pick them issues up I ordered today.”

Engineer sighed, before shrugging himself.

“I don’t have enough time to fix your bike before heading out myself, but I’ll give it a look over when I’m back from town if that’s alright. You can hitch a ride with me, if you don’t mind waitin’ a little bit before we get back to base.”

“Yeah, that works! Thanks bud,” Scout replied cheerfully, before he followed the Engineer out. Things were quiet between them for a few minutes, but given that it was the Scout he was walking with it didn’t stay that way for long.

“That your truck in the garage?”

“Yep.”

“Cool, cool. Soldier owns a truck too, but I wouldn’t trust that thing within an inch of my life.”

Engineer chuckled at that.

“Wouldn’t doubt it, son,” he said, fishing out his keys when they got to the garage. “I should warn you though, don’t touch any of the dials once you get inside my car.”

Scout gave him a look as he skip ran to the other side of the truck, waiting for the door to unlock.

“…Wasn’t gonna touch anything in there anyway, but uh, why?”

The doors clicked open as Engineer slid into the steering wheel side, trying to hide a small smile.

“Let’s just say I’ve…modded this old thing over the years as a hobby.”

Engineer turned the keys in the ignition as Scout closed the door on his side, giving a whistle.

“The fuck did you do to this thing?”

“That’s for me to know, and you to never find out.”

“What,” Scout scoffed, as the truck began driving out. “Did you stick sentries or some shit in the back?”

“Good guess,” the Engineer replied, keeping a poker face on just to fuck with the kid. “That’s the least of what I’ve done, but a good start.”

Scout looked over at him now incredulous.

“Am I sitting in a truck right now or the fuckin’ batmobile?”

“Don’t know what that is, but I ain’t got bats in here, no.”

The conversation went back and forth like this for a while; Engineer made wild claims about his truck while keeping his best straight face, and Scout tried to deduce what was real and what was made up.

“Okay, okay,” Scout said shaking his head this time. “There’s definitely no way this thing can be modded to fly for _sure_.”

“No way that _you_ know of.”

“Yeeeah, sure buddy,” Scout laughed shaking his head before he stopped and started thinking. “Hey. Hey…if you can mod half the crazy shit you’re saying into a car like this, what kinda stuff can you put into, oh I don’t know…a motorbike?”

Scout gave Engineer an excited look as he furrowed his brow at the concept of Scout with a bike containing even _half_ those mods…hm. Bad idea.

“No way, son.”

“Aw come on, it’d be so cool! I mean, look – well not _look_ you’re driving, but listen –”

At this Scout started digging into his bag, pulling out a few of his other comics.

“The guys who write these things got LOADS of cool ideas for sweet car mods. I mean – okay so in this issue, this guy’s crime fightin’ car’s got oil that shoots out an' everythin'! It makes all the bad guys skid and crash behind him, its freakin' awesome! And in this one –”

Oh god, the boy was getting excited. Engineer tried to hide a pained expression; he hated to disappoint him now that he was getting this riled up over the concept. Stay firm. He had to stay firm with his very clear answer of _no_.

“Alright, alright…if I’m going to be working on your bike anyway, I can do you a solid and give it _one_ mod.”

Damnit.

“Oh hell yeah, we could – wait, no wait! I gotta think this through.”

Engie snorted at that one.

“Oh, I bet you do.”

“Okay so hear me out: flamethrowers, right on the front.”

“Why, so you can drive straight into a cloud of flames?”

“Okay, yeah good point; how about rockets?”

“On a bike like yours, that’s a recipe for speed wobble.”

“Alright I can respect that, so hear me out on this one: _lasers_.”

“…I’ll consider that suggestion, but I won’t make any promises.”

“HELL yeah!”

Finally they managed to drive into town; Engineer dropped Scout off in front of the comic shop, giving him a time that he’d be back. He drove off then, over to the Mann Co. depot before parking. Quickly while still sitting in the front seat, he switched out his blue jacket with a red one he had been keeping in the glove compartment. He buttoned it shut across his chest before walking on out and into the store.

Visiting the Depot at any time was a gamble and a half with your life, considering the complete lack of safety standards with the store; trying to avoid the wild panthers roaming around alone was enough, but dealing with any of the other customers ‘testing’ equipment and merchandise was its own can of worms. Thankfully, nobody else Engie knew was in the store to see him make his current purchase. He walked out with his loot in an inauspicious brown package that he hid in the backseat, before walking over to the second store he had plans for; the candy shop, specifically. He did need to amass his bait after all. A few healthy packages hidden in the back with his other later, and he was ready to go.

Engineer checked his watch before silently cursing; he was running a few minutes late on picking up Scout. Quickly he changed jackets again and got into his truck before driving on over; thankfully Scout didn’t seem to notice though when he arrived. The boy had already opened up one of his newly bought comics and was reading it while leaning up against the store wall outside. He looked up only when Engineer honked, before jogging on up and jiggling with the door handle.

“Ey, you’re back! Thanks again man,” Scout said before he sat back down and shut the door behind him. “What were you getting’ from the Depot anyway?”

“Never you mind that,” Engineer replied, as he started driving back to the base. “I did see something I figured you’d like at the store next door though. Check the cup holder next to you.”

“Thought you said not to touch anything,” Scout joked.

“ _Very_ funny, but I can take it back if you don’t want it.”

“Nah nah, let’s see what you got,” Scout said as he finally looked over, before his eyes widened and he laughed for real this time. “Hey, I thought this line of Bonk got discontinued!”

“Probably for good reason,” Engie snorted, as Scout pulled the can out. “But it looked hot outside so I got it anyway.”

Somehow Scout had already finished the drink before smashing the can on top of his head.

“Yeah, it is kinda a desert even out here. Sucks; I heard some outposts are out in like, jungles and gold mines and stuff. Meanwhile we get stuck with rocks and the sun.”

“They’re not all as cracked up as they sound,” Engineer snorted before he turned a corner. “I can tell you about some of them if you want. I’ve been moving between stations for a while.”

“Get outta town. How many places you been?”

“I’ve been to Egypt, for one.”

“Okay, now I know you’re fucking with me.”

“They installed respawn systems in actual crypts over there.”

“What?!”

Thus, the conversation fell into much the same pattern as it had before, until they finally made their way back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No illustration this time around, but I hope y'all enjoy either way! If you're curious about any updates as I go along, check my blog: https://writingdispenser.tumblr.com/


	8. Chapter 8

Thankfully it hadn’t taken too long to drive over to the RED base, Engineer thought as he parked his car from a safe distance behind an outcropping of rocks. After moving Scout’s motorbike into the workshop and grabbing his signal masking prototype, he had tried to make it here as fast as he could. The trap Engie had cooked up last night had about a 50/50 chance of working today, if all went well. He had based the idea off of one of the notes he found in the Pyro’s employee file; apparently they still had a bit of troublemaker in them, as they had gotten in trouble multiple times for sneaking out in order to set fire to the team’s garbage. From the records he had read, the time the Pyro would usually sneak out was around now. Engineer shifted from where he hid, closer to his target then where he had parked. He was already dressed and ready to go, with the only exception being the gas mask he still held in his hand.

Engie was in luck; his eyes widened when he finally saw the Pyro cautiously open the RED base’s back door and slowly sneak outside, carrying a scorch shot behind their back.

Perfect.

He grinned when he saw the Pyro suddenly pause at the sound of a crunch under their boots before looking down; it was an unopened bag of cotton candy. He heard the sound of a muffled giggle as they picked it up before pausing once again to pick up yet another bag that lay just ahead. And another. And another. And well, another.

The trail of assorted candy bags led all the way to the inside of the shed, which Engie had already filled with the rest of his shopping spree’s contents; not to mention a novelty sized jar of jelly beans he had glued the lid on for good measure. As the Pyro skipped inside and started tapping around, Engie silently got up, slowly fastening the gas mask on; it was now or never.

Quickly and silently he hopped over to the doors of the shed, locking them quietly shut. Engie didn’t enter the RED’s base just yet though, erring on the side of caution. He doubled checked the prototype he wore harnessed over his chest under the asbestos suit, just to make sure it was on; check on that. His wrench that doubled as his escape plan was hanging from his hip under the suit too. He was good to go, then; all his other gear was in the gas tank he had modded into a makeshift backpack. Silently, he opened the RED base’s back door, and got into character.

From here on out, he was the red pyro. He started walking around with the half skip gait he always saw the Pyro take on the battlefield, curiously looking around. The bases really were remarkably similar; he honestly could believe that at one point way back, they were all connected. Well, back before the brothers started fighting and funneling money into his paycheck.

As he continued down the halls, he passed by the red soldier who gave him a quick ‘spy check’ thump on the back and a ‘hello’ as blue Engie in his disguise returned the greeting back. He smiled unseen under the gas mask; so far, all was working well. It didn’t take him long to get to the employee record room, thanks in great part to the shared layouts. He stopped on his way though by a large storage room, filled with nothing but boxes of junk – he still had his secondary goal in mind to complete too after all. Silently he walked inside and cased a good, seemingly out of the way shelf that took a fair bit of climbing to get up on. From there he risked another jump, landing with a soft grunt on a flat piece of architecture just above. Carefully, he opened the gas tank turned storage on his back, and cautiously pulled out the teleporter exit he had brought along with him.

He grinned in satisfaction as it deployed; perfect. Hardly anyone would go into this room, and if they did even fewer of them would think to look around way up here. Slowly, he climbed his way back down before exiting the room towards his main target once again; the one for employee records. It should be just around the turn, and he’d be ready to go.

“Oh thank god, you’re still inside.”

The blue engineer turned with a start, and silently cursed in his head.

Damnit…just what he needed. The red engineer.

The man jogged over to him puffing and winded before he stopped and leaned down to breath, hands on his legs for support. Blue Engie quickly remembered to get back in character, cocking his head to the side curiously as he gave his red counterpart a comforting pat on the back.

“Don’t you scare me like that again,” the man chastised, scolding him now with a frown as he finally caught his breath. He poked the other accusingly in the chest. “The last time you tried burnin’ the trash, we couldn’t get the smell out for weeks.”

Blue Engie sighed, giving out a muffled ‘sorry’ like he assumed the man’s Pyro would. For good measure he pulled him into a hug, patting him more from there on the back. Red Engineer couldn't help but sigh himself too, before finally returning the gesture.

“Aw, I can’t stay mad at you,” he eventually said, cracking a small grin.

The man didn’t however break the hug as the blue engineer had been expecting. He chose instead to nestle his face into the Pyro’s shoulder, leaning in. Blue Engineer frowned, a little uncomfortable – he couldn’t move though, if he didn’t want to arouse suspicion.

“Where you goin’ all the way down here anyhow though, firebug?”

Blue Engie paused his train of thought for a second, thinking his answer over.

He chose his muffled response to be ‘bathroom.’ It seemed to work as the Red Engineer only chuckled before shaking his head.

“Shower, right? Try not to stay too long then. Your favorite show comes on in an hour, and I’ll be fixin’ your favorites to watch together with in the workshop.”

The red engineer smiled even softer then as he caused blue engineer to freeze further, bumping foreheads quietly with his gas mask. Thankfully the red engineer only interpreted that as bashfulness, laughing tenderly as he gave him one more affectionate pat. As they pulled apart, Blue Engie gave his counterpart a quick wave as the man walked back, only now beginning to unthaw from his weird sense of shock.

What the hell was _that?_

He shook his head quickly; it didn’t matter. He slipped into the employee records room before he had to deal with anyone else. Now that he was inside, he walked over with purpose to the computers, pulling out his code breaking device and attaching it to one of the appropriate slots. He sat down now, taking out a lighter in case anybody walked in; if they did, he’d make to look as if his plan was to light the paper records on fire, the kind of move a Pyro definitely would still make. After a few minutes to his surprise he got a beep; he frowned as he walked over; that was odd. Usually it took longer than that.

He stopped though when he read what the password was, before sighing and rolling his eyes.

The password was simply ‘Password1’ – he didn’t know why he even bothered.

He shook his head, pulling the device out now and putting it back into his pack before typing the discovered password into the computer system. Honestly he was a little disappointed. He frowned, wrinkling his nose; what was the BLU team’s password then, come to think of it? God help them if it was also as simple as that. He remembered how similar both teams’ security systems were, and sighed in defeat. Who was he kidding? It was definitely also as simple as that. He’d have to see if he could do anything about that later.

That was later though; this was now. Quietly he began skimming through employee files, taking out a camera in the meanwhile. He only stopped and perked up suddenly when he finally got to the man he wanted; the red Spy. With a sense of excitement, the Engineer opened his digital case file and began skimming as he snapped photos. Any scrap of information he could get on the Spy’s background, he would take.

At least what he was reading so far confirmed what he had read in the paper files; the Red Spy had only ever been stationed in Badwater Basin during his ongoing time with RED. He frowned as he checked for any other work experience listed before his arrival working with the company. Any information registered was vague at best; from what he could glean, the part of his professional experience RED company was most aware of was during…ah.

The realization washed over him. The man looked older, around forty after all. He had to have been a young adult during the Second World War; and things to put it mildly at the time, weren’t looking so good in France. He only vaguely pieced together one of the names cryptically listed as he continued taking photos; he’d heard of at least _some_ of the resistance cells in operation at the time, and the pieces, scant though they may be, were starting to fit together.

The lack of any concrete information though didn’t really surprise Engineer honestly; both companies were trying to hire spies after all, and probably weren’t keen on devaluing their worth in such a way. There was always something though; some snippet or small detail that could be analyzed, and peeled wide open. Engineer paused in the middle of his thoughts at this point, noticing a particularly bloated folder in the Red Spy’s files. Given that this was in fact a Spy’s employee records, and one without any transfers between outposts at that, a folder of such size stuck out like a sore thumb. Engineer opened it out of curiosity before doing a double take once he saw what was inside.

The folder was filled entirely with recommendation letters…from the same man, each more insistent and ridiculously worded then the rest. Blue Engineer raised his eyebrows at this, more than a little confused. Recommendation letters in the hiring process were more of a suggestion then a necessity at both companies, and the concept of a Spy requesting any seemed particularly asinine. Was this some sort of farcical misdirection? A plant to throw anyone off his scent? Every single letter, every single one came from only one man listed as “Jane Doe” in the files, a name often used for anonymous sources. Engineer’s eyebrows only rose higher as he read further.

The man was stationed as a mercenary over at Tuefort, under contract as a Soldier. American. He silently wondered if the Red Spy even knew what the man had tried to do for him, as he read with some slight amusement the contents of each entry. A couple of entries even had copies of photos attached…although most were snapshots of blurry and useless explosions. Engineer pondered over this incredibly strange find thoughtfully; either this ‘Jane Doe’ was crazy, or he actually _was_ that well acquainted with the Red Spy before his stationing here. He had to admit, it was a better lead than anything else so far – though if he was being honest, the last thing he was expecting to find in the Spy’s file was actual human connection. Suddenly he sucked in his breath, spotting one photo in the midst of it all in particular. It couldn’t be. It _had_ to be a fluke.

The photo may have been almost as out of focus as the others. His face may have been mostly obscured behind the mugging of that American. But it was there, in some form of photographic detail; a blurry depiction of a younger Red Spy’s still masked face. The blue engineer snorted; that soldier had to have sent all those letters in unprompted. There was _no way_ the Red Spy even knew, or these records would have been long cleaned and gone from the servers’ ages ago. He silently wondered if the Red Spy even still kept in touch with the man. It was a find beyond his wildest dreams.

It was also something he'd have to analyze more later however - he was testing the limits of his time here. He had to leave. 

Before he turned the computers off as completely as he found them, Engie snapped shots of all the other employee records on file for the current enemy team; he might as well, while he was still here. Lord only knew if he’d ever get the chance to do this again. He quietly placed the camera back into his pack once he finished, before finally shutting everything down. Engineer refrained from using his wrench to teleport away for now, as he still had to open the shed doors for the actual red Pyro before anyone got suspicious. That and he had driven here with his truck, which he wasn’t keen on leaving behind overnight. Quickly, he walked on out.

He made his way down the halls once again as swiftly as he could, trying to avoid the appearance of rushing. Suddenly he found his legs stopping though, as he heard the wafting sounds of piano notes from further down along. Based off his memory of BLU’s layout, the place the sounds were most likely coming from was the RED counterpart’s rec room.

…Hadn’t he read that it was the Red Spy specifically who installed a piano in there? It was a detail buried in the paper records, under a dusty list of mail orders and time. He heard the piano music suddenly pause before it started again, and laughter; the blue engineer hesitated, but still found himself unable to move. He really should leave, realistically speaking. Every extra second he spent in here was a second he could get caught.

The music continued to play, a sort of back and forth experimental pitter patter. The blue engineer finally shook his head, setting himself straight.

Fine.

He’d risk it.

Pyro. He had to act like the RED team’s Pyro. Back in character, he timidly opened the door to the rec room, peaking in. There to the far right was the red Spy and Demo, playing together while sharing the same piano. Sheet music was strewn about wildly around them, music notes and chords scribbled all over them. That wasn’t the detail Engie found himself staring at though; it was only now that he really considered the fact that he’d never seen the Red Spy off the battlefield before. He seemed more casual…relaxed. He certainly wasn’t as dressed as Engie was used to seeing him.

The red Spy’s suit jacket was off and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, tie more than a little askance. His hat was still on but pulled mostly down though, and he was smiling…huh. Come to think of it, Engie had never seen the man _smile_ before either. Or at least, not like this. Not among friends. Spy stopped playing just then to write something on the sheet music in front of the piano briefly, as Demo made a loud joke and added his own contributions as well. If they were composing music together, the process was certainly chaotic, with revisions from both their pens on each scrap of paper. The two stopped though when they noticed the Pyro looking in on them.

He could see the Red Spy freeze, looking over at him warily; Engineer supposed he couldn’t blame the man. Pyros didn’t tend to trust spies, not even the ones on their own team. Between the three of them, Demo was the first one to break the silence, looking at Pyro with cheerful curiousity.

“Ye came after hearin’ the music, didn’tya? Did ya like it?”

He had to act like the Pyro; blue engineer nodded his head vigorously, causing the red demo to laugh. Spy for his part tried to force a smile, the corners of his mouth twitching; it appears there was _really_ a level of distrust between the two of them then. Blue Engie silently filed that information to the back of his mind as he cautiously walked in, before sitting cross legged a healthy distance away.

Demo seemed to turn back to Spy now, giving him a comforting pat on the back; Blue Engie leaned in trying to hear whatever the demo whispered into Spy’s ear.

“ _Don’t worry lad, if they try to burn ye suit again, I’ll step in, but they seem to be actin’ docile, yeah?_ ”

_“Demo, they tried to burn my suit while I was wearing it –”_

_“–Look I know, but this could be your chance to –”_

Ah. That explained a lot. Engie chose to tilt his head to the side curiously again, as he waited for them to get back to playing. Finally Demo turned around back to him, as Spy pretended to look busy with their papers.

“We’re about halfway through this one bit we’re workin’ on; you wannae here our progress so far from the top?”

Engie mimicked the response he thought Pyro would give, clapping his hands vigorously and nodding. Demo looked back now to Spy this time, giving him a hopeful look. At this, Spy sighed before finally shrugging in relent.

“Alright…it would be useful anyway to hear how it all sounds unbroken now anyhow.”

“Aye, I knew you’d come around!”

Engie leaned in from where he sat now as Spy scoffed, before giving his fingers a good crack, the Demo making sure they were both on the same starting pages.

It was then, that they began.

If Engie didn’t know they had been writing this all down beforehand, piece by piece, he would have sworn they were ad-libbing; the way they played sounded so freestyle and fluid.

What it also sounded like most though, was a battle of the tones; Demoman fought on one side boisterously for the bass notes, while Spy on the other side danced and flitted with the higher ranges of the treble. It was like a game playing tug of rope, as both sides took their small wins but neither was able to _really_ fully overtake the other. They were both too important for that, too evenly matched. There was tension; there was harmony. The music was fast paced and whirled, somehow both clashing and coming together peacefully at the same time. It shifted, never staying the same.

Was it even still a fight anymore? When had that changed?

Blue Engineer couldn’t help but be entranced, listening enrapt.

It took him by surprise then when the music suddenly stopped. This time he wasn’t even pretending to be in character as Pyro; the disappointed sound he made was all too real.

“And that’s as far as we got,” Demo said with a grin, as Spy quietly put the sheets of paper back away now that they were done. “We haven’t _quite_ got the ending figured on yet, but we’re workin’ on it. So, what did ye think?”

Blue Engie didn’t hesitate on that one – he stood up immediately to clap, causing Demo to laugh, and Spy to actually quirk a genuine smile for real now, although he still didn’t seem keen to make eye contact.

“So,” Demo said, as he gave Spy a friendly nudge. “How about one last song before we go?”

Before Spy could reply though, he was interrupted.

“Oh hey, you fellas still playing in here?”

They all turned around to see the red scout sauntering in, carrying a couple cans of soda and a Beep Boy.

“Oh, we’re just about done lad,” Demo answered before shifting his gaze questioningly to check on the Spy. Spy for his part fished a cigarette out of his pocket, the mere presence of Scout driving him to smoke.

“Aw really? That’s too bad,” Scout said, putting down his loot on one of the tables before he paused, a grin spreading on his face. “Yo, you two do any requests?”

Engie sat back down in one of the chairs now, smirking under his gas mask as he leaned his chin on his hand. Oh, this should be good. He went through the motions of swinging his legs though, just to keep sticking to his disguise’s part.

“Hey Spy…” Scout grinned for real now as he walked forward, nudging a now extremely tired Spy on the shoulder. “Yo Spy. Spy. Ya know any Tom Jones? Betcha can’t play Sex Bomb.”

It was Spy now who turned around this time, giving Scout a straight on, even look. He inhaled his cigarette slowly before finally exhaling it, having finally chosen his words.

“No.”

Demoman started at that, looking over to Spy with an expression of confusion and hurt.

“What are ye talkin’ about? I was teachin’ ye alla Tom Jones just last week!”

At this Spy froze before leaning back, bringing a hand slowly to his face as Scout laughed.

“So you _can_ play Sex Bomb, huh? Come on. Play it. Play it or you’re a coward.”

“…Oh,” Demo said with some realization, catching on to Spy’s original plan sheepishly now. “Sorry lad.”

“No no,” Spy replied suddenly, straightening himself up.

Whatever funk he had slid into before, he had clearly shaken himself out of it. He snapped his attentions back to the piano now, straightening up with an odd gleam in his eye.

“It’s rude not to credit your fine teaching skills after all,” Spy continued to Demo now with a grin.

Demo hesitated, before cracking a smile of his own back.

“Aye you’re damn right!” He blustered now, taking a swig of a bottle he had laying just nearby. “And that wee one –”

“I’m in my twenties, man!”

“– That wee one has the gall tae think you can’t play Sex Bomb! _Tom Jones_ Sex Bomb!” Demo thumped his own chest now in faux seriousness. “Defend yer honor lad! Defend mine!”

Spy gave a snorting laugh at that, before placing his hands down on the keys in front of him.

“Alright then,” Spy said, his good humor returning back as he smirked over to Demo. “I’ll handle the playing. _You_ my friend, can handle the singing.”

Scout blanched as he realized what he had just signed up for.

“Wait, not Demo, no –”

Too late; Demo had already finished his drink clean in one swig with a laugh before flipping his bottle over, wielding it now as a makeshift fake microphone.

“HIT IT!” He shouted, as Spy practically cackled, slamming down the opening notes.

Oh boy. Time to get out of there then; blue engineer quickly slipped away as Demo belted out the first lyrics with a drunken holler over Spy's continued sustained laughter and music, completely ignoring Scout’s pained calls for help.

He had gotten everything he had wanted out of them now anyway, Engie thought as he finally slipped out the last back door, silently unlocking the pyro’s shed before making his way back to his car. He had risked too much sitting in that rec room for so long.

Engineer sighed as he got inside, slipping out of his disguise and fumbling it all as best he could into the shotgun seat. He hadn’t realized before how jittery he now was; had he been holding his breath? For how long? He took a sudden gasp of air, before slapping himself in the face; he had done it.

A smile of his own cracked wide across his face…he had _done it_.

He couldn’t help but let out a harsh chuckle as he turned the keys in the ignition and began driving down the roads, silently back to his own home base.

By now the adrenaline should have left him, but he was tapping the sides of the steering wheel instead, acutely aware still of the energy buzzing through him. His mind raced, going over all the new information he had uncovered; the files on the red Spy, for one. The soldier stationed in Teufort; the _photo_. He hadn’t even properly looked yet at the files of the other members of RED as well…files that he had uncovered all under their noses, within their own base. For some reason despite all this though, his train of thought paused only on one thing in particular; the music Spy and Demo had played.

In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t really that important; or well, it shouldn’t be to him. Absentmindedly, Engineer hummed parts of the remembered tune. In a way, he was a little jealous. He had always been musically inclined himself, but well…it took the lowest priority, compared to everything else in his life. He could only ever use his free time for that sort of thing, and the longer he worked the less time he had for even that. He sighed at the thought, his mood finally starting to mellow down.

It may be later in the evening, but by the time he got back well…he’d still be able to get some hours, just to himself. Scout’s bike he figured, could wait until tomorrow. The boy would understand.

When Engineer returned to base, the first thing he did after hiding his newfound contraband in the workshop was return to his room. He picked up an instrument case leaning to the side against a corner wall, before pulling out with great care one of his most prized possessions; his guitar.

Briefly, he tuned it.

A few testing strums of notes. Only then, did he begin to play. Bits and pieces, he played the parts he remembered most from that in progress composition, tapping the sides of his guitar as he picked out the rhythms.

Softly as he started to figure his way out, Engineer started humming along.


	9. Chapter 9

Red Spy had been sitting in the BLU team’s employee records room under cloak since about…well, the crack of dawn really. The wait didn’t bore him however; he had brought a book to pass the time and he was a patient man. The plan he had staged was simple, yet effective. The minute he and his comrades had returned back to base the other day from their bout, Spy had gone about arranging multiple falsified transfer requests and other filing irregularities for BLU, knowing it would force of a member of the company’s administration staff to come check on the problem. And once they did, well…Spy was ready to look over their shoulders as they typed in whatever the passphrase was.

It was only once the normal morning hour arrived however that the door was opened loudly, with an unceremonious swing. Spy looked up to see a harried woman in purple walk quickly in, muttering under her breath as she shuffled stacks of files of her own. Spy silently closed his book, slipping it back into his inside jacket pocket; now was his chance. Staying under cloak, he shifted closer now to get a better view.

The woman thankfully was fully concentrated on her task at hand, squinting at the screens in front of her as she began to type, logging in. Spy’s gaze was calculating as he followed where her fingers went on the keyboard with each letter, before morphing slowly into an expression of silent disbelief as the pieces came together. She clicked enter, the computer now giving her access in.

The password was simply _‘password2.’_

Spy shook his head in humored disappointment; that was a bit of a letdown. Realization started to wash over him though as he remembered much of the security systems between both bases were in fact the same...surely their own password couldn’t be that simple as well, could it? He rolled his eyes quietly then in tired acceptance; no, he knew how RED operated. If BLU’s was this simple, there was no telling how similar RED’s own was as well. Spy scowled at the thought; he’d have to see what he could do about that later.

He stepped back now, having seen all he needed. All he had to do here on out was wait patiently once again, until the woman finally closed everything down and left. Finally she eventually did, leaving the room in just a hurry as she had initially entered it. Even so, Spy still elected to wait a few healthy minutes more, just in case she decided to barge back in. Only after this did he take his chance, slipping quietly out of cloak. The coast was clear; he walked forward and typed in the password now himself, pulling out his camera as the systems booted up.

Access granted, he scrolled through the databases provided now, scanning methodically for any traces of his target. He gave a small grunt of satisfaction when he finally found it; the blue engineer’s case files. And Spy had thought the man’s _analog_ case files had been bloated thanks to all his transfers. The digital records on him were unfortunately no different. Spy frowned at this, before he continued scrolling. Just like before, this might take a while. He decided to start from the most recent files available on the man currently – the ones available from his last stationing at the outpost of Upward.

Spy read carefully, seeing more information here now on the events that led up to the engineer’s most recent move to the Basin. The security flaw he had discovered was indeed a major one, a weak point found through the door systems in RED team’s last hold. What made the discovery major wasn’t due to the door _itself,_ but rather part of the structures behind it. They relied on respawn data-based recognition systems, which the blue engineer had uncovered a way to trick. The exploit was seemingly simple but it was effective. It allowed the doors to open to the Engineer’s own team – but not to any of the REDs. Through this, he was able to hide a teleporter exit that virtually couldn’t be destroyed, save for a sneaking flank to the entrance end. Multiple times he had taken advantage of this flaw, building a base in the RED’s own balconies, and teleporting his entire team along in.

The Engineer hadn’t been too keen on passing the opportunities presented it seemed, even at the protestations from his own superiors. Spy sniffed at that; if the companies were actually competent enough to overhaul their base layouts of operation and differentiate or improve their security measures, this sort of discovery would have been a cause for celebration. If RED had this security flaw somewhere, then inevitably so did BLU; Spy silently filed this information away. Under normal circumstances, Spy supposed they would have let go of the Engineer entirely as an employee, rather than risk him discovering yet more security exploits they couldn’t (or simply refused) to fix.

Why the man appeared to be so valuable to BLU, Spy was hoping he’d learn here in his digital case files; while the analog records gave hints, they didn’t paint the full picture. It didn’t take long for Spy to realize though that much of the transfer notices listed were of similar nature to the ones he had already read previously. Quickly he changed the track of his search, clicking through different folders instead as he attempted to sniff out clues. The deeper he looked, the more personal information he was able to surface up.

The engineer had been raised in a small town in Texas, mainly by his mother. There had apparently been a divorce while he was still at a young age; as to why, no reason was given. Spy counted himself lucky to even have much information on his mother at all, given that she had previously worked under BLU herself. No information on the father however…either because he hadn’t been a past employee himself, or other reasons. It was something to consider; Spy silently filed that information away as well.

He checked to see if there was anything on file for the mother that had been digitized over the years; thankfully there was. He’d have no hope of digging up anything analog given how far back in BLU’s history she had been enlisted with the company. Apparently, she had been hired as an engineer as well, although not a battlefield one. Way back before the Second World War came, sucking up most of the mercenary workforce the two warring companies relied on.

Spy snorted at that; he had no doubt the two brothers were most upset about such ‘small details’ getting in their way at the time. He didn’t like to think too long on the war though. Quickly Spy pushed those thoughts away, moving on past. She may not have been a lifelong employee, but from all appearances, she must have left on amicable terms if her son was here as well now…and she wasn’t listed as dead. It appeared from the age listed she had signed on relatively young. He wondered quietly if she had lied about her age and had been even younger. It was a possibility.

He wasn’t able to find much more than that though…the Engineer himself, however, was a different story. Spy raised his eyebrows at a few newspaper clippings on file from the man’s boyhood school days; experiments gone wildly wrong in robotics it appeared. Spy shook his head ruefully at that; so he had been a wild card even then. A trouble-making wild card at that…but one who could consistently get away with it. He had been quite smart and was recognized as such, even in his youth. His university records alone attested to this.

Spy gave a low groan when he saw how long and extensive _those_ were, thanks to the amount of PHDs the man had decided to rack up. Eleven in the hard sciences alone, not even getting into the man’s minors and many electives. Was he that much of an overachiever, or was he simply that unable to decide what he wanted out of his education? Maybe he just happened to like school…maybe it was a combination of all three. Spy grimaced as he continued to read; eleven PHDs meant eleven separately written theses. How the man survived through something like that, he didn’t know.

The exact nature of the degrees themselves didn’t surprise him however; he was researching an engineer after all. He was expecting at least a few degrees along the line of electrical or mechanical. Although the areas in biomedical did stand out a bit from the bunch…Spy wondered idly if that meant the man was technically more qualified than certain medics currently on staff to practice those sorts of duties. That would be a rich joke, if so. Spy opened the full list of classes on file just to check, before his face blanched.

Oh that was _much_ too much to go over while still here in person. Spy simply snapped photos of the full list like he had done with the other records, before moving on. All this newfound information was certainly useful to Spy, helping him continue to build a profile of who the engineer was inside his head. Anything on the man’s additional activities however stayed elusive. One thing was clear from what _was_ available however; the blue engineer was working on multiple projects, projects not affiliated as far as he could tell directly with any of the ongoing ground combat. There were also references to offsite facilities that remained unnamed…at that, Spy blinked.

Quickly, he compared back to the list of the blue engineer’s transfer records from what was digitized. His suspicions were confirmed; practically every outpost he had been stationed at had some form of offsite facilities for the BLU Company nearby, unutilized in the name of the territory war. RED had many similar facilities as well, mainly operating the company’s actual businesses that helped fuel their mercenaries’ paychecks in the meantime. They were still companies after all, and the money had to come from _somewhere._

This didn’t surprise Spy; nor did it surprise him that either company would be keeping certain engineers on staff for other developmental work outside their hired gun status. It just wasn’t something he had personally looked into himself – mainly because he wasn’t being paid to. If RED wanted information on BLU’s secret ventures, Spy would prefer to be paid rather than perform the service on a platter for free. Not as if they hadn’t hired him for similar standalone contracts in the past before, after all. Spy’s relationship with RED was one of business; he had no personal feelings of allegiance. Outside of the mutual bonds he’d managed to cultivate with his colleagues stationed here, there wasn’t much else.

For this man specifically though, Spy might just be willing to make an exception…not that he planned to share anything uncovered with his higher-ups. Not without a contract and confirmation of payment anyway. The only exception to that in his mind was if anything he exposed happened to be a direct threat to either himself or his team as a whole. Anything otherwise would simply be utilized as a matter of leverage. Spy tapped the bottom of his chin thoughtfully as he took the last photos he needed, before moving on to the other employee files not associated with his little engineer. He may not get a chance to look through here again, so he might as well while the opportunity to do so was still there.

If he wanted to figure out where these outside facilities were located, he’d have to stakeout the engineer; that was a fact that had become quite clear. If he was able to follow him to one, all the better. Finally, Spy had everything he needed, shutting down the computers as he found them and slipping back under cloak. Silently, he glided his way out. As he made his way down the halls just as quietly he paused upon seeing the blue’s Engineer and Scout walking down just ahead. Well…speak of the devil.

“That your truck in the garage?” The Scout asked.

“Yep.”

“Cool, cool. Soldier owns a truck too, but I wouldn’t trust that thing within an inch of my life.”

The conversation continued as they made their way past, heading towards the facility’s garages. Spy watched their backs recede thoughtfully; if the two of them were going somewhere that gave him ample time to assess whatever security measures the man had placed over his own workshop. Knowing this Engineer, Spy had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t be able to break in quite just yet today, but at least he would have ample information necessary to try again later, while more prepared.

It was a risky plan, but it was a risk Spy was willing to take.

Silently but quickly, he made his way towards where the engineer’s workshop should be. He stopped only once he had the large padlocked doors in sight, keeping a healthy distance away. A lock was simple enough, but there had to be more than that. While the security in the rest of the base was a joke in and of itself, an Engineer’s workshop was always a different beast, no matter who the man was behind it. That was because Engineers tended to customize security systems around their own places themselves…deadly security systems. Systems that required their own unique ways of being bypassed or sapped, making it very difficult usually to break in and leave without a trace.

Spy scanned the doorframe and walls from where he stood for anything out of the ordinary, before noticing some small devices pricked into the walls here and there around. Hardly noticeable, unless you were observant – which Spy was. They were cameras of some kind…Spy was silently glad he had chosen to come here while invisible. He frowned though, upon realizing that some could be sensors…heat sensors. Cloak could hide many things, but not body heat, unfortunately. Looks like keeping a decent distance had been prudent. He could also hear the faint whirring of electrical appliances inside…who knew of what though. Spy could get around the cameras, but he’d have to figure out something for the heat sensors. Too small for traditional sapping, after all.

Once he did, he’d be able to examine the padlock for any other irregularities, and could perhaps also sneak a small camera through, in order to judge what actions would be needed next from there. Spy nodded to himself before slowly backing away; he had a game plan now, some good solid working points he could start from. Today, all in all, had been rather a success. He twitched a smile silently as he walked back upstairs, back towards the winding halls. Slowly he was starting to get the edge on the other man.

Spy paused as he walked past the rec room though, hearing the faint sounds of conversation and even some debate coming from inside. He should walk past, honestly. The longer he spent in here, the more at risk he was of getting caught. Still, he couldn’t help himself, leaning over to listen in.

He was a Spy after all. Curiosity and nosiness may be one of his strengths, but it was a weakness too; a double-edged knife as it were.

“I am not upset with new man,” came the sound of the Heavy’s low rumble. “But his jump was reckless. Should be more careful…not anger I am feeling. It is worry.”

“Our own demo has jumped behind countless times though as well in the past, and rather recklessly too,” came the blue Spy’s clipped response. “I don’t think we need to be _too_ worried.”

They were talking about the engineer. At this, the red Spy’s curiosity became overwhelming; he had to get inside. Noiselessly he slipped in unnoticed, taking full stock of everyone inside the room.

The blue’s heavy and medic were sitting at a table to themselves with a game board, as their Sniper, Demo, and Soldier were off to the side at a different one playing cards. The pyro for their part was on the floor, kicking their legs up in the air as they drew with crayons on the ground. Blue Spy sat on one of the couches just above the mess of Crayola and scribbles, the magazines he had been reading now set to his side.

Spy could see Heavy and his blue counterpart frowning now at each other, as the medic’s gaze flicked between the two with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Easier for Demo to get away,” Heavy finally replied. “Not so much engineer.”

“He has that wrench though.”

“Is good,” Heavy relented, “But not as flexible as Demo, or Soldier. Different. Just worried.”

“He seems experienced enough. Better to give him a chance then to bring up any worries right away,” Blue Spy shrugged. “He hasn’t gone against a team plan for his own interests…yet.”

At this the Sniper looked up from where he sat, frowning.

“Careful what you insinuate there, mate. Man seems nice enough.”

At this the blue Spy rolled his eyes.

“I wasn’t insinuating anything; it is just simply that I am the only one who’s had a look at his case files of you all.”

“…What was in ‘em?” the blue Demo asked, looking up now curiously himself.

The blue Spy paused now as the Pyro got up from the floor to show him one of his pictures; the man appraised the crayon scribbles with a nod before fishing in his pockets and placing a sticker right on top. The Pyro happy with that got back down, as the blue Spy returned to his train of thought.

“...His records indicate he used to act differently in the past,” he said. “But that was the past. It’s clear he is no longer that way now. My only intention was to bring up that old habits may arise and we should be ready to discuss them with him when that time comes.”

At that, Red Spy raised his eyebrows. He wasn’t expecting _Blue Spy_ to get so friendly with the new Engineer so soon. He’d have to look more into that too.

“That’s not very specific.” The Medic looked up, grinning from where he sat. “Come on now. What did he do that was so bad?”

“Odd…I figured you of all people would have checked on the records yourself.” The blue Spy stayed calm and collected, not giving in to the Medic’s ribbings.

At this the Medic laughed, making a triumphant move on the game board as well. The Heavy frowned as he looked over, considering his next move.

“Only his medical records,” the Medic continued, grin still pasted on. “Come on…what did he do? I bet it’s funny.”

The Blue Spy rolled his eyes as Heavy made a move of his own, causing the Medic to turn back to the board and scoff; looks like he was losing.

“…You’re all making it sound like the man killed his own teammates,” the Sniper finally said, clearly not as amused as Medic was.

At this the Blue Spy hesitated, causing the rest of his team to turn.

“…What?”

“No way.”

“Really –”

“He did not _kill his own_ teammates you fools,” the blue Spy snapped before sighing. “I am only stating this now to clear up any confusion.”

He shot a glare now towards the Medic, who for his part only returned a look of _‘who me?’_

“…There was at least one incident where our new Engineer in the past was stated to have gotten ‘fed up’ with his team’s scout constantly stealing teleporters.” At this the Spy paused. “So he placed a teleporter exit in a deep pit off the battlefield grounds, trapping him there.”

At this the medic laughed for real now, causing the blue Spy to roll his eyes yet again as he waited him out.

“Apparently the Scout wasn’t too keen on sitting the rest of the match out waiting there,” he continued grimly. “…So he did the only thing you could do in that situation to return to respawn.”

There was a silent pregnant pause at that, only broken by a low whistle from the team’s Demo.

“That’s a wee bit fucked up, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think the Engineer had the intention of forcing the boy to resort to that sort of…response,” The blue Spy cut in evenly before anyone else could say anything. He cast a warning look now around the room. “As if any of us could judge.”

“…Aye, I suppose Sniper’s habit of throwin’ piss jars all about is pretty fucked up too, now that you mention it.”

Sniper shot Demo a tired look before shrugging.

“You say that like you weren’t begging to get doused in one while on fire the other day.”

“Well it was either get pissed on or _die_ , so I made my choice.” At that Demo took a swig of his drink. “I ain’t proud, but I know what choice I made.”

“We have all made mistakes,” the Heavy finally said, shooting the two a warning look now of his own. “I do not care about his past. I do not need more stories. I care only about the man we have now.”

Red Spy could see the Blue Spy mouth a thank you towards the Heavy, who nodded.

“Aye you got a point there,” the Demo added, eager to agree. “Besides, he did bake for us all; that must mean he’s trying to fit in, yeah?” At this, he received sounds of acknowledgment from all the rest.

“You’re all so easily bribed,” the Medic chuckled, as he tried to sneak pieces on the board around while Heavy was distracted.

No luck; the Heavy shot a look at him of disappointment, as Medic simply raised his hands in fake defeat, still grinning.

“You would all follow a man dancing off a cliff if he gave you a sandwich first,” the Medic continued with another laugh. He pointed at Demo now, just as impishly. “ _You_ wouldn’t even do it for the sandwich; a bottle of cheap moonshine would be enough!”

At this Demo shrugged, before taking another swig.

“I’d say somethin’ but I can’t argue with that; I’d do it for the moonshine _and_ a packet of those good chips though. A man’s got to have standards, after all.”

“If you let me experiment on your spleen later today I will give you both,” Medic replied without missing a beat.

Red Spy rolled his eyes from the corner; so that was the man’s game.

“Oh sure, I’ll come over to the bay halls after lunch.”

How the blue Demo could be so laissez-faire about that arrangement, Red Spy would never know.

“I wouldn’t jump off a cliff,” he heard the Sniper now mutter. “And I don’t look gift horses in the mouth either.”

“Ya think he’ll do it again later? The baking? Wonder if he’d be too keen on us asking,” the Demo thought out loud dreamily.

“Well. You could try,” the blue Spy now said, clearly glad that the subject was now changing.

“I should advise him to start charging money then,” the Medic added in cheerfully.

“New Engineer is team player,” Heavy now said with some warning note of finality. Clearly, he wanted to end the subject. “Should just be more careful. That is all.”

The medic shrugged from where he sat before looking over to the clearly scowling Soldier, trying to concentrate hard on his set of cards.

“You’ve been unusually quiet,” Medic slyly shot in, finding a new target to poke. “Come on. What do you think of our new hard-hatted friend?”

Soldier’s scowl deepened at that, now forced to look up.

“UNLIKE YOU LADIES, I’M NOT A GOSSIP.” He slammed the cards he’d been holding down at that. “FULL HOUSE NOW, I WIN. OORAH!”

Demo and Sniper looked awkwardly down at Soldier’s hand.

“I don’t think those cards mean what you think they mean Soldier,” Sniper carefully said.

“AND WHAT’S _THAT_ SUPPOSED TO MEAN, BILBO SWIGGINS?”

“Alright Soldier, let’s settle down –”

Red Spy could see where this was going. Silently he got out of the room just as quickly as he had entered before things at the card table got a little too rowdy. As soon as he was safely out of the blue’s base from the back exit, he walked silently until he got to where his car was hidden, a safe distance away. He mulled over the contents of the conversation he had just eavesdropped on, the files he had managed to uncover, even the workshop doors he had analyzed outside as he turned the keys to the ignition.

All in all, his efforts had been rather fruitful, he thought to himself now, smiling silently as he fished out a cigarette and lighted it. And in good time too; he had plans around this hour coming soon. He and his own team’s Demo had a piano composition to try and finish after all. Spy drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, to a low spontaneous rhythm. The piece they had been working on together was his favorite so far of them all; a bit experimental, but fun. Creative. A little outside the box.

At that, he exhaled some smoke from his mouth, before taking another drag.

What drove the new Engineer was probably the same, at least in terms of basic principles, Spy supposed to himself now.

Unfortunate for him then, Spy thought, a corner of his mouth now curling. He was just as capable of being creative after all. Soon, his target would find out.


	10. Chapter 10

The BLU team filtered into their main meeting room after breakfast that morning, as they always did to discuss strategy before a new fight ahead. This was Engineer’s third time with his new colleagues, so he was starting to get a handle of how they did things by now. He sat carefully down in one of the chairs as he walked in, before scanning politely around the rest of the room. His eyes caught Scout’s who was also sitting in the room, oddly early for once – and mad bored with it too. The boy was fidgeting about in his seat, like a rabbit that had been caught. Scout immediately lit up though when he saw him, sitting up quickly and giving a wave.

“Hey hardhat! Man, these guys are taking forever. How’s my bike comin’ along?”

At that Engie cracked a smile in return before shrugging.

“Aw, it’s a work in progress still, but it’s coming along. I can show you the additions I’m plannin' once we’re done with today’s match though, if you’d like.”

“Really? Like in your workshop?” At that Scout leaned forward.

“Well…so long as you don’t touch anything.”

“Hey, I didn’t touch anything in your truck, right?”

“Alright,” Engie chuckled. “I’ll have _some_ faith in you then.”

At that moment the Demo and Pyro barged in, carrying what looked like crates of cheap beer. Engineer tried not to laugh as they passed them around while cheering almost forcefully into everyone’s hands.

“Drink’s up lads! We’re gonna blow them up to KINGDOM COME!” At this the Demo gave a loud whoop, the Pyro mimicking his motions behind him.

“…Well…” Heavy said with a raised eyebrow, peering cautiously at the drink pushed before him. “I guess everyone is here now.”

The Medic, Heavy and Spy had been poring over a map spread across the table together before the interruption; it didn't take Engineer long in his time here to figure out that those three were in charge of calling strategic shots. Well, more often than not anyway. Sniper tended to sit nearby paying close attention, while Soldier liked to hover in his attempt to appear in charge.

Engineer gave a pleasant thanks when his own drink was finally tossed to him, the Demo giving him an additional friendly thump on the back. He popped the cap off nonchalantly before taking a long swig; he wasn’t one to turn down a free drink, even before battle. A little liquid courage never hurt anybody after all.

Blue Spy gave a small cough then, as Medic already began downing his own beer with a smirk.

“I suppose Heavy is correct,” he said, setting his unopened drink politely now on the table. “Then to business; we took much too long attempting to break first during our last bout. On this, we can improve.” At that, Spy nodded towards Heavy who took the lead and continued.

“Instead of splitting flanks, we are going to try and push hard together on right,” the Heavy said gruffly. “Medic and I will try to take focus with uber; Soldier and Demo will box turret down from there. Pyro will be guard during early push from red Spy and Scout. Only ones not coming will be Scout and Engineer who will stay on cart, keeping it moving; Sniper can keep eyes out behind on both sides.”

At this the Engineer blinked, frowning.

“…What about _their_ Sniper?” He asked. “I reckon if he’s on the other end of the tunnel like last time, me and Scout ain’t gonna push far. And if he’s on right side, that’s no good for y’all either.”

“We’ve taken that into account,” Blue Spy answered with a glint in his eye. “When the gates open, I will be the first to exit and will make my way towards the Sniper. Killing him while desirable isn’t necessary; once I have him distracted I will give you all the word.”

Ah. That made sense.

“Alright, I can follow.” Engineer nodded at that.

“That’s good,” Blue Spy said. “Any other questions?” He seemed to be addressing that to the room as a whole.

Engineer _did_ have another question honestly; he hesitated though. A plan had begun forming in his head, but he was still a fresh face here…that and asking for help with this sort of play tended to have a mixed bag of reactions no matter where he was stationed really. Blue Spy was observant though, and saw through the look on his face.

“Whatever’s on your mind Engineer, now’s the time to air it out,” he said, voice calm.

Engineer shrugged; oh to hell with it. The worst they could say was _no._

“I was just thinkin’ you see,” he began. “If the Sniper’s on the other end of the tunnel and you get him, that’s good news for me and I can get behind ‘em. If he’s over on right side again I can also get behind ‘em. But the reds here have started wisin’ up to my plans and are paying attention to me, so I wanted to propose something actually that would involve…well you, Spy. Personally speaking.”

At that the blue Spy's eyebrows rose, but he didn’t seem upset...yet.

“As long as it doesn’t get in the way of our current strategy, I’m open to hearing your suggestion.”

“Oh it won’t. I only wanted to ask if after you were done, if you’d be willing to well…disguise as me. Pretend to be _me_ for a bit so that they don’t think to look way back.”

Engineer studied the blue Spy’s expression closely; he knew he was risking a lot by asking. When he asked before at other outposts his teammates hadn’t been so kind to his ideas after all. Not that the man minded; he could figure things out on his own. Spy’s expression remained passive silently for a few seconds before he made up his mind and shrugged.

“...Splitting their focus could be beneficial,” he finally said. “I’m interested.”

“They do get very paranoid when the cart gets close to the checkpoint,” Medic chuckled now darkly. “They won’t be near our spawn entrances by then. A few of us could teleport behind and we could coordinate a pincer attack. The thought of ubering them from behind sounds…delightful.”

Engineer felt relief wash over him as his shoulders relaxed, the Heavy nodding now along with the group. “Demo, Pyro, and Sniper could go with Medic. Rest of us, we can distract. Interesting plan.”

Blue Spy nodded at that, marking the map now with a pen.

“If you fail to get a teleporter behind and get caught, the plan is off,” Spy said now. “We’ll fall back to the original strategies being discussed. If you succeed, then we go with Medic’s. Can you handle that Engineer?”

At that Engie grinned, very genuinely.

“You don’t have to worry ‘bout me getting caught,” he smirked. “I’ll get you that teleporter.”

The team continued to discuss strategy for a bit, but Engineer barely followed most of it; he was already starting to feel the buzz of adrenaline. By the time they finished, he almost left the room as fast as Scout did…well, almost. He was still only human after all. By the time they made it to their starting spawns he was already hopping from one foot to the other in anticipation, tweaking at his short circuit to pass the setup time. He had positioned himself by now near the left side doorways, though not close enough where he’d be hit by any of the initial spam that was sure to come.

He nodded to Scout as the boy jogged over to join him where he stood.

“Alright, cart buddies! Put ‘er there!”

The Scout raised a hand as an invitation to high five; Engineer paused for a second before smiling and returning it.

“Heh…cart buddies. That’s a fun one,” he chuckled. “Hope you’re ready to go too, son. If their Sniper is tunnel end and our Spy’s having trouble, it’s on us to help him.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Scout grinned before peaking the gated slats of the still closed doors. “I’ll probably get there first if he does, anyway. Two shots boom, you’re good to go.”

At that Engineer laughed again, as the countdown over the speakers went down. The two of them backed away from their door as it did, allowing their Spy room to make his way.

Time to get down to business.

The Announcer signaled the start of their attack as the horn blared; immediately their Spy took his chances under invis and was the first out the doors, running in sprint. Thankfully there wasn’t as much hell coming down on their side as the brunt of blue team was moving from the right hand doors instead, drawing most of the enemy’s fire. Still, blue Spy was quite agile; he was able to dodge anything as he slipped down through the tunnel.

At that, Scout and Engie ran out the door themselves. Seeing the red soldier about to shoot rockets down towards them, Engie raised his short circuit and shot two balls of lightning back, switching just as quickly to his shotgun. This gave Scout just enough time to sprint over to the cart and touch it, pushing it over close enough for Engie to make a dive for cover behind it himself. He refilled his short circuit’s ammo hastily before raising it again, shooting more lightning up at the Soldier, swift to delete any other rockets.

“He’s on the other side of the tunnel,” the blue Spy’s voice now crackled into their ears. “I’m distracting him.” The sounds of a struggle could be heard then on the other side of the mic.

Scout didn’t waste any time hearing that; he shot Engie a look before sprinting down the tunnel to help. Engie shot one more ball of lightning up himself before following, dropping a level one sentry quickly in the middle of the underpass as he went. The red soldier made as if to go down and follow, but was headshot for his efforts by the blue sniper, watchfully keeping tabs on them. The Soldier went down with a strangled angry cry, unwillingly back to his team's respawn. Engineer for his part was more than silently thankful.

It looked like the enemy sniper had deigned to wear back protection; their Spy was able to get one shot in, but now the two were engaged in a bona fide gunfight ahead. Their 1v1 wasn’t going to stay that way for long however; the red Sniper’s eyes widened when he saw the other two running straight down for him with a curse. He tried to say something over his mic but the Scout already managed to close the distance, making two meatshots in. Now was his moment then - Engineer saw his chance. He didn’t break his stride as he ran past his teammates with a wave, keeping his pace. He only stole one look behind him; blue Spy had already put on his disguise, a doppelganger running back now towards cart.

Thankfully everyone else on RED was too busy dealing with BLU’s hard push on right to look back in time; Engineer ran around the corner, past one of their exit doors. He had made it. Quickly he went to the high elevated rises by third, jogging up the stairs before placing his exit.

“My exit’s been dropped,” he said now, flipping on his mic as energy still raced through him. “I won’t destroy my sentry in tunnel yet for appearances though. How’s the front?”

Engineer quickly deployed a dispenser before getting down to the business of upgrading his teleporter exit. He listened carefully as Heavy and Medic’s mics turned on now in his ear in answer.

“Very good; remember to stay hidden,” came Heavy’s voice first.

“We got the first sentry!” The medic practically cackled in his ear now. “Their Spy got Demo and Soldier so we’re slowed down, but progress my friend!”

“Hey now, we killed the man back!” the demo protested in the background.

“Momentum slow let them rebuild closer to cliff over tunnel,” Heavy added more pointedly now. “We will handle. Keep building until we give signal to put down entrance.”

“Got it. Will do then.” At that, Engineer turned his own mic off before teleporting back to refill at spawn.

He nodded then as he saw blue Spy rush back, pretending to refill on scrap metal.

“Your sentry’s down in tunnel,” the man said with a pause as he downed a bottle of healing liquids.

“Yeah, I getya. I’ll build another one near our tunnel end. You go give ‘em a sighting of yourself before they get suspicious and we’ll meet back here.”

At that Spy nodded briskly back, before exiting once again under invis. Engineer ran back out just as fast, dropping another sentry and upgrading it to level two with more metal from spawn just for good measure. Quickly, he ran back inside once again. He gave Spy another nod as the man jogged back to safety within their doors, before deactivating his cloak as well.

“We’ve managed to get the cart past tunnel,” Spy said tersely now as he fixed blue engineer’s disguise back on. “I’ll give you the signal to build an entrance.”

“See you then,” Engineer replied. He raised his wrench, teleporting back to his exit.

Newly resupplied, he was able to upgrade his dispenser before turning to grin at his now beeping PDA; looks like the red Spy had made it back to the frontline, given his sentry was now being sapped. Ah, all the better for him. He waited patiently for the sapper meter to run down before rebuilding it quietly in his current base. Thanks to his dispenser and the two sub dispensers nearby, he was able to get it to level two and then some before his earpiece crackled to life once again.

“We’re in the last stretch, and they’re defending final hard; nobody is coming near spawn. Now’s the time Engineer.”

Blue Spy, right on cue. Engineer’s smile widened as he pulled out his wrench.

“On my way; be prepared y’all.”

The minute he appeared back in spawn, he nodded towards the teammates waiting for him. Pyro and Sniper nodded towards him as Demo finished injuring himself with his bombs to build their new uber. Quickly but carefully, Engineer built his entrance and motioned towards the others. Demo went first, followed by Medic, Pyro, and then Sniper. Engineer quickly changed his gear before going through the teleporter himself. He needed to be able to redeploy his sentry quick after all for this plan; he was taking the jag for this one, as well as a rescue ranger and his trusty pistol.

The moment he went through, he destroyed the entrance; better not to clue anyone on red after all. The red Spy going through the teleporter alone would be a disaster. He nodded towards the others before packing his sentry and pulling the box over his shoulders. One more hit and it would be level three the next time it was deployed...just the way he liked it.

“Everybody ready?”

The Medic grinned towards him at that, almost gleefully.

“No time like the present.” Medic's response may have sounded cheerful, but the underlying dark mischief was still there.

They didn’t waste any time loitering around; quickly the group made their way back to the frontlines, ready to charge. The rest of their team was still making noise, distracting the reds near the front as the blue Spy’s voice came over their mics.

“The minute I jump in to sap their sentry, we all go in and run on my countdown.”

Muttered voices of agreement washed over the comms.

“Alright then.” Spy cleared his throat. “3…2…” There was a sudden shout on his end of the lines as the sound of a sapper went off.

“NOW!”

The crackle of an ubercharge went off as the blue demo and medic came barreling in first from the back, causing the startled reds to turn. Just as fast the Soldier, Scout and Heavy came charging from the other flank, raining damage down on all the rest. Blue Pyro protected Engineer just long enough to deploy his sentry before he rushed in giggling as well, their Sniper taking down any target that wasn’t expecting him to have a sightline from this far back.

The adrenaline in Engie reached its peak; he laughed, high and giddy, alternating his shots between giving his sentry life and the enemy team the exact opposite. The plan had worked.

It had _worked._

It didn’t matter when he felt a knife twist angrily between the shoulder blades of his back. It didn’t _matter_ that he got a notification on his PDA once he respawned that his sentry had been sapped. The BLU team had managed to get the REDs in such a disarray that they not only took first, they steamrolled through second as well. And for Engineer? Well, that was more than good enough.

A shame his exit and dispenser went down too though, to the flames of the red pyro as the enemies managed to recoalesce around third. Still though, the blues were in high spirits; they had bought more than enough extra time to organize another push to break through. Engineer switched his gear once again back at spawn as Scout and Medic both congratulated him before running back to the front.

Engineer couldn’t help but grin back as he dropped his entrance and jogged panting behind them. The fight wasn’t over yet after all. And he was _clean_ eager to tie a bow on the day with a win.


	11. Chapter 11

Red Spy had never been more frustrated in his life, but still he carried on. The early defeat had been humiliating, but there was still hope; they had managed to slow down the blues at third. And the third checkpoint was key; the blue’s spawn hadn’t been moved yet, making their Engineer’s teleporter more valuable than at any other stage of this blasted dogfight. Spy pressed his lips together over his cigarette grimly, as he made his way behind towards their spawn.

Time to reignite their old cat and mouse game; he’d take any excuse at this point though to target that Engineer. That _damn_ Engineer. He had thought the man was playing games with him, refusing to shoot back and simply dodging, choosing to make rude gestures in return instead through harsh laughter. He had thought the Engineer was trying to _waste his time_.

Well in a way he had, Spy thought in annoyance as he placed a sapper on the teleporters entrance, adding in a few shots for good measure. There was no way the Engineer could have been in two places at once…he had seen the Blue Spy even less on the field during those events then he normally did. At that Spy sighed, watching the Engineer teleport back in, dropping a new entrance down with a few hits. It was so simple really...the blue Spy was the one hanging around the other blues the whole time. The _real_ Engineer had been setting up behind. Simple…but clever. It had _worked_ after all.

The Engineer paused before shooting his shotgun around a few times. Good luck with that, Spy thought with a snort. He was already sitting up on the rocks again, ready to jump back down once he left. The Engineer shrugged but didn’t teleport back to his exit just yet; he chose to walk back into spawn instead. Looks like his plan was to upgrade the teleporter from here then. Oh well; too bad for him. Spy adjusted his earpiece to relay this information before hopping down from the rocks.

No blues would be respawning just yet…time to make a risky play. Spy uncloaked and placed a sapper. Right on cue, the Engineer shot out from inside spawn, gun cocked and ready…but not outside enough for Spy to be able to get in knife range of him. Safeguards on all spawn entrances kept him from that; the man was still annoyingly clever. Staying in spawn wouldn't keep the Engineer completely immune though - Spy still had a gun after all as well. The Engineer wasted no time, shooting twice at the Spy, who landed one of his own shots back. The distance between them was key here, depending on how far the Engineer was willing to go. The man could dive back to the safety of his spawn at any moment after all, but that wouldn't help him much if he really wanted to save his teleporter. Instead, the Engineer cursed before immediately changing his strategy; he didn’t shoot back. Rather, he teleported back to his exit before it was fully sapped.

Ah. _Very_ clever, the Spy thought with a roll of his eyes before quickly returning back to cloak. It didn’t matter if the teleporter went down now; the Engineer could just place down another exit and teleport right back. This could go on forever really. He sighed…to hell with it. Time to try a different change of plans.

Spy turned back from the blue’s spawn and started making towards their current hold. He paused when he saw the team’s Heavy puffing his way back now as well, freshly respawned. Spy unceremoniously stabbed him before continuing. That should keep the man away for just a little while. Spy slipped silently through a pair of gates near first checkpoint, going up a set of staircases to the roof near the cart’s second; he needed to get a good vantage view.

Looks like his team had taken advantage of the Engineer’s absence; the Demo had managed to box out his sentry from afar, although the dispenser was still up if barely. He saw the Engineer teleport back in from spawn once again, his exit now newly reactivated. The Heavy, now freshly respawned a second time after his initial delay was the first to come out of it, clearly still miffed. Spy sighed; typical. There were no two ways about it. He was going to have to kill the Engineer first…draw him away.

Spy’s line of thinking broke however at that. His eyes widened as his head turned to see what else was going on down below…there, just nearby one of the sub dispenser alcoves.

He saw the blue team’s Medic healing their Scout.

That wasn’t the part that surprised Spy however…although it did a little. No, what surprised him the most was the fact that the Scout was beating himself senseless with a rather nasty looking baseball bat as the Medic did so. Ah…so that was their next plan, he thought sourly. Looks like the BLUs were planning to surprise them with another uber push before his team would expect it to be ready.

Spy cursed silently under his breath; their own Medic had brought the Kritzkreig out after what happened at their first hold, which wouldn’t be enough if the BLUs played their cards right. His dealings with the blue Engineer would have to be set aside for now; taking care of this problem was currently of more immediate importance. Spy lost no time flipping his microphone back on.

“Gentlemen,” he started brusquely. “The blue team appears to have regained their ubercharge.”

Spy ignored the obvious groans of a few of his teammates to pay attention to the rest of the blue’s movements now; the sooner he relayed this information, the better.

“They are planning another split push,” he cut in smoothly. “The Heavy, Soldier, and Pyro are going to the staircase of the sub dispenser room on bridge. Sniper and Demo are heading to the boiler room which is the other form of access to the upper bridge. I cannot see the Blue Spy; pay attention for anything odd behind.”

At this Spy paused, watching where the Scout and Medic planned to go.

“…The Scout and Medic are splitting. Medic is going with the Heavy. Scout is heading to boiler room. The Engineer looks to be using this moment to set himself back up.”

At this the Spy gave a sniff; it really _was_ unfortunate that the dispenser had stayed up. It only made getting everything else leveled back all the easier for the man.

“My Kritz is only at fifty percent,” came the red Medic’s voice, sounding hasty and strained. “We’re building it artificially now too, but I don’t think it will be ready in time to surprise –”

“I’ll see what I can do,” the Spy said, already dropping down from the roof with a grunt. “Be prepared everyone.” A quick refill at the enemy Engineer’s dispenser and he kept going.

He heard sounds of agreement and thanks as everyone geared up warily for the push that was sure to come. At least they now knew it was coming, which was better than being taken off guard…again. Spy’s face curled into a frown as he passed by the offending Engineer, heading straight towards the side the Medic was going instead. Looks like the builder was heading back to refill at his dispenser…the perfect opportunity under normal situations to attack. Spy however, held back; he was a man of many petty faults, that was true. But he never let it get in the way of his _job_.

“I’m close by; shoot some spam towards the sub dispenser room to distract them if you could,” Spy whispered. “Stop if I need to run.”

The spam started to hurl in on cue; Spy used the noise to decloak, taking the disguise of the team’s Engineer. He quickly jogged in puffing, making as if to go for the large ammo pack while everyone was distracted trying to keep the incoming volley from damaging their medic too early.

Now was the Spy’s chance.

He grabbed his knife, lunging towards the medic’s back.

It was unfortunate then, that the Medic turned around.

_Shit._

Immediately Spy changed his trajectory, turning his momentum towards the pyro who was busy airblasting away all the damage the Reds were shooting in ahead.

A muffled yelp of death, and the Heavy and Soldier immediately turned towards him.

“Cease!” he practically hissed into his own mic now as he jumped, leaping forward towards the door.

He was going to have to pull out an old maneuver to make it out of this one; one he had learned from an old acquaintance who stumbled quite literally into his life years and years ago.

The enemy soldier’s rocket; it was coming straight for him, aimed towards his feet as the Heavy’s gun was now revved. In the slowness of the moment, Spy timed his movements, crouching and before taking another jump, just as the rocket hit the ground below.

Soldiers weren’t the only ones who could maneuver themselves with the power of a propelled blast, after all. Spy went flying as he used his muscle memory to strafe.

He landed with a thud and a wheeze to safety, still badly injured from the few bullets that had managed to hit as well. He scrambled towards his own team’s dispenser as he heard the enemy team’s uber now activate. Thank _god_ he had managed to tell his team in time.

The sentry his Engineer had placed on the balcony’s end was already wrangled, as his team’s Sniper helped box out those members of blue heading in from boiler room. Scout had already run up there ahead of time, to help harass from the sides. Red Demo had placed stickies to juggle the uber push as their pyro helped keep the bounce going, disorienting them further from just down below allowing for relative safety. Red Heavy bravely tried to soak up any damage he could, blocking the incoming bullets with his fists of steel as their medic tried hard to keep him healed, even if barely.

Quickly, their Engineer teleported his sentry away before it could be damaged any further. It was at that moment red Spy saw his blue counterpart uncloak towards the man's back and gave a shout; Engineer turned around startled as their Soldier rocket jumped up to help. He swiftly ended the other Spy’s play with a sickening smack to the head while still airborne, using his shovel. Somehow, they were all managing to hang on.

Only their team’s pyro and scout died, sent back to respawn; Spy still grinned however. The enemy’s uber was about to fizzle out…and thanks to his information, the red team’s kritzkreig was now _more_ than ready. Their medic gave a maniacal laugh as he switched to his team’s demo, activating it.

The blue pyro was dead after all; it was the perfect opportunity. The surviving members of blue backed up immediately as the first bombs began to rain…only to fizzle out from a sudden volley of balls of electricity.

The red Spy’s eyes widened; so the blue Engineer had decided to move up after all while his team pushed…maybe the reason he moved back wasn’t even to refill at his dispenser after all. No, he knew the man by now. His plan had been to move it closer up. Based on Spy’s internal timing, the Engineer must have gotten his gear back in time to see him just as he made his escape.

The Red Medic cursed but wasted no time immediately switching to the team’s heavy. The time the blue Engineer bought was just enough though for at least the blue’s Soldier and even Demo on the left side to escape.

No.

They had to push them back, and push them back _hard_.

Spy had a rough idea of where the blue Engineer’s sentry was. He turned immediately to his Soldier, still holding the upper ground.

“SOLDIER!” Spy practically shouted, running out of cover, his lungs rough. “SHOOT ME!”

Any other man would have hesitated, but this was Soldier after all. He shot a rocket down at the Spy’s feet without any hesitation. Spy already in stance went flying once again, disguising midair as he did.

He strafed between the opening across the bridge, landing close to the blue’s sentry; he saw the enemy team struggling to retreat stare at him in surprise as he did. Spy ignored the shots that now started coming towards him as he slammed a sapper down instead.

“SENTRY SAPPED!” He practically roared over the mic. “MOVE NOW!”

His team practically surged forward as the remaining blues cursed, still trying to escape as their health was too low now to even think about attempting to jump. Spy leaped out of the way, dodging their continued desperate fire. The Demo and Soldier now fell as the REDs gained pace but the Engineer alone still managed somehow to get away. Looks like he wasn’t going to waste time on a doomed sentry; he raised his wrench just in time, just in a hair’s breadth of time to teleport back to his own spawn's safety.

Spy panted quietly now from where he sat as his medic jogged over, healing him back up. He raised a hand up halfheartedly at the congratulations he received, not paying too much attention as they destroyed the last of the blue Engineer’s gear. He saw his own Engineer sprinting over now lugging a heavy toolbox, seeing fresh opportunity to move his gear up. This was now a rare chance to hold a defense of third while the payload was still here from the rooftops of second.

They didn’t just survive the push…they had taken ground completely. Spy knew he should be happy with this turn of events. Really he should.

But the blue Engineer even after all that, had still survived.

The match wasn’t over, Red Spy thought as he shuffled out another cigarette to smoke, shakily getting up.

He still had time to get back at that man.


	12. Chapter 12

Blue Engineer was breathless when he teleported, shaking as he landed back in spawn. He was still incredibly low on health; quickly he stumbled over to the cabinets before dousing himself in a bottle of healing liquids with a gasp. He wiped his face then, slowly regaining his composure…he’d have to wait a bit for the rest of his team to respawn, he wagered. He double checked his PDA; none of his buildings save for the teleporter entrance had survived, but he had expected as much honestly.

Quickly while he still had time Engineer grabbed his small notebook from the inside of his shirt pocket, sitting on one of the benches in spawn so he could briefly scribble away. Any other man would have been upset, even humiliated after that series of events; Engineer however was grinning and giddy. He hadn’t been on the other end of such a turnaround in _ages_. They may have gotten the initial drop on the REDs but their enemy clearly wasn’t one to roll over and and surrender dead. They put up a _fight_ , and a bitter one at that. They had proven themselves to not only be a challenge, but one that refused to be anything but. That was more than fine to Engineer of course; nothing was sweeter in fact.

He paused, finally putting his book back away as the blue Spy was the first to respawn. The man tried to keep a dignified look as he gave the Engineer a clipped nod.

“…I suppose that could have gone better,” he finally said with a shrug.

Understatement of the century; Engineer couldn’t help but bark in laughter back as the blue Spy only shrugged a second time before finally quirking a small smile.

“Alright so that went quite terribly,” he chuckled. “It’s a good thing we bought all that early time…we can regain the ground we lost still.”

“Silver linings,” Engineer now nodded back before pausing in thought. “…Say. You’ve been here longer than I have. How long has their red Spy been able to surf like that?”

At that the blue Spy quirked his head thoughtfully.

“I’ve only seen it happen on occasion, usually from one of our own explosive classes. It’s always looked like an accident in the past; a fluke. Same as his escape today…I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“…So you didn’t see the other jump then.”

“I was _dead_ Engineer,” the Blue Spy now snorted. “…Why? What happened?”

Slowly the other members of their team started to spawn, their timers staggered around them.

“I’ll tell you later,” the Engineer replied hastily, ready to get back up and move. “No time to waste if we’re going to ever have hope of getting third.”

At that the blue Spy nodded, their team now in enough straits to push forward without worry of being picked off. They moved out, establishing their main hold at the corner before second; the REDs had taken advantage of the BLU’s loss and had moved aggressively forward, set up now on the roof’s top hold. Blue Engineer decided to build his gear up where his team now coalesced, confident they’d be able to protect him until he had everything up.

Now that he did though, he carefully considered their current situation; perhaps it would be better if he filtered his team through the house areas behind roof instead. There was a lot of good harassment opportunities if he got them all back there; a lot of paths, and a lot of large shipping crates that provided cover. There was one covered area specifically with a sub dispenser installed, that would provide more than enough scrap metal and health as well. Lots of good high ground too...right.

“I’m going to check and see if there’s room behind roof to move my gear,” the Engineer relayed to his team over mic, mind decided. “If I notice my gear being sapped or anything, I’ll teleport back to my exit.”

After receiving affirmations from the rest of his team, the Engineer quickly reloaded his shotgun and pistol before making his move. He stole through the gated doorway, passing by his team’s medic, soldier and heavy as they attempted to push one of the roof’s two staircases up. Looks like his team was keeping them all good and distracted. All the better for him then; Engineer veered away, going further behind the many backways before jogging up the staircase to his hoped for sub dispenser’s house.

Carefully he looked around, peeking out of the window to gage if any REDs were patrolling this far behind roof as well; he was in luck. Unless the red Spy was this far behind himself, from the looks of it nobody from either team besides him was back here. He pulled out his destruction PDA now, silently considering which of his buildings he should rebuild here first. He wasn’t too keen on destroying his teleporter exit after all, unless he was completely assured that he had this place locked down first. Engineer froze in his thoughts however; you could say many things about him, but you couldn’t say he wasn’t an observant man. He sensed a presence behind him.

Only one person _that_ could be.

Quickly he whirled around while backing hastily away, shotgun now brandished out. His suspicions were confirmed; there he was in the flesh, knife still half raised; the red Spy.

“Well now,” Engineer smiled as he shot his gun, the Spy immediately dodging. “Fancy meeting you here.”

The Spy didn’t respond to his jabs, face now completely set in concentration. He continued to flit easily between bullets, pulling out a gun of his own as he tried to close the distance between them. Spy had the advantage here, Engineer supposed. This was a particularly enclosed space. There wasn’t much floor room up here for him to keep out of knife range, at least not for much longer. Engineer had to think, and he had to think fast.

Try not to cause suspicion in the Spy; Engineer set his face and actions, masking any signs of actual deliberation with a heat of the moment act. He backed up, allowing himself to be backed up even more until he was at the edge of the doorway, his shoulder now turned; Spy spotted the opening and lunged.

Engineer of course having provided this weakness intentionally, saw it coming.

Swiftly he reached out and grabbed the other man by the tie before roughly pulling them both back -together their shared momentum sent them hurtling down.

A bit of payback for the events of their first fight, Engineer supposed.

But at least out here, down here, he had more space to move around. He let go of the other man midair, pushing the Spy violently away; he wanted to test something.

As Engineer landed with a heavy thud to the ground, his suspicions were confirmed. The red Spy landed almost catlike, skidding to the ground now on his feet.

“You’re pretty good at handling yourself in the air,” Engineer now drawled with an open smirk, grabbing at his shotgun. “What else did your Soldier friend over in Teufort teach you?”

At those words, he saw the red Spy freeze – it was only for a second, but a second was all the Engineer needed. If there was one thing the red Spy was expecting, it wasn’t those words after all. Engineer shot, landing a good one directly in the Spy’s abdomen. Spy gasped before immediately activating his cloak in response, trying to dodge now as Engineer grabbed his pistol, peppering more shots wildly into the now empty invisible space.

Engineer cursed silently under his breath; the Spook had managed to get away. Still, he must be on low health. There were only two sub dispensers out here now with supplies enough to heal him; the one in the corner nearby, and the one in the room they had just fallen from. Quickly, Engineer ran forward, stealing the med pack from the closest one before Spy invisibly could.

“As if I would do something so obvious.”

So _now_ he decided to talk. The Engineer shot around where he heard the voice coming from.

“Warmer, but not quite there. Keep trying though.”

Engineer frowned, before sighing. The Spy was playing games with him – at least he knew though that the man couldn’t do much else. Not without regaining his health…which he couldn’t do without leaving the Engineer alone. The two were now circling each other so to speak; waiting to see who would make a mistake first.

“…You really know how to take the fun out of a fight, don’tya?” The Engineer sighed, keeping his voice congenial.

“ _Fun?_ Is that what we’re having?”

The voice of the Spy came from somewhere else now as the Engineer shot again in his direction. Another sigh from his invisible prey as he missed.

“That one almost hit me actually; admirable shot.”

Some more invisible laughter as the Engineer shot again.

“Were you having _fun_ back in Dustbowl when you blatantly disregarded your own teams’ plans? Perhaps you had more _fun_ in Gorge, using your own team as fodder for your bait.”

The engineer sighed as he reloaded his shotgun; he could tell the Spy was just fishing for a rise, a reaction.

“Well I don’t know about me, but you sure seem to be having some right about now,” he finally replied with a shrug. “Not sure what you expect me to say here, son. You’re a Spy; I figured you’d have read my files by now. You’d be kinda a shit Spy if you hadn’t.”

Engineer wasn’t shooting now; it was a waste of ammo otherwise. Instead he kept his ears keen, listening carefully for any sounds or tells. He was greeted with only a soft chuckle.

“I suppose that’s true,” the Spy now responded just as quietly. “Whether or not you had _fun_ back then doesn’t really matter, now does it? Although maybe it does to your…current teammates.”

Engineer kept his mouth set, as he continued to listen. He wasn’t going to take the bait…oh no, not him. Instead he paid even more attention than ever before, as the sounds of the Spy’s voice moved. Keep him talking. He had to keep him talking.

“That’s a sorry excuse at blackmail there, if that’s what you’re getting at,” he now said.

“Mm, true,” came the voice of the Spy once again. Closer this time, to the left. “Not as if they weren’t talking about you behind your back. What was it your own _Spy_ warned them about again…? Ah yes, now I recall! That _teleporter trap_ back when you were stationed in Frontier. That _poor_ Scout…”

At that, the Engineer couldn’t help a twitch downwards to the corners of his mouth; he _knew_ the red Spy was just fucking with him. He _knew_ that’s what he wanted.

“You done playing games?”

“I think that’s what they were planning to ask you,” the Spy was quick to shoot back, and _damn it_ if Engineer couldn’t hear an underlying stupid smirk. “They shouldn’t have let you drive off into town with that Scout of yours either way. What if you forgot him, after all? Maybe he would have had to shoot himself too, just to _get back_.”

That did it.

He knew where the Spy was moving now anyway; the Engineer shot his gun as the Spy dove, grabbing the newly respawned med pack from the sub dispenser before making a run once again. At this the Engineer gave an angry shout of his own before following after.

Immediately the Spy turned and shot before the Engineer could react, changing his trajectory; the shot hit. Engineer snarled before he dodged another one, shooting back twice and hitting at least a single of his own.

The Spy was now at enough health though to flit about from cover to cover, trying as he was to close the distance between them. Engineer continued to shoot as he backpedaled as well in response.

The bastard was trying to get into knife range. _Again._

Well, Engineer thought grimly, maybe he should let him.

It was a risk, but at this point he was willing to take one.

He saw him make his move now, from the right; the Engineer whirled, as the Spy got closer.

The Engineer juked left, and just as he expected, the Spy changed his movements to his own right. He was trying to do to him what he did way back the other day to his own team's Sniper. The Engineer grabbed his knife arm instead and changed the Spy’s momentum, tossing him with heavy force to the ground.

With a gasp the Spy landed, but not before pulling out his gun. Engineer grabbed at his own shotgun too, but Spy pulled his trigger faster; the Engineer swore as the shot landed on his hand, the shotgun now falling out.

Oh no.

He wasn’t going to let the Spy escape this time. Swiftly he surged forward to pin him while he was still down, grunting as another gunshot hit him in the abdomen. The Spy gave a shout as his wrists were now pinned before kicking him back roughly in the chest.

Engineer gave a gasp, grip loosening, but not before he had twisted the Spy’s gun out of his hand. The Spy kneed him once again just as hard shouting expletives as he twisted over, sending them both rolling in hot baking dirt. The Spy tried wildly to stab him as the Engineer didn’t even try to grab for his wrench, going immediately instead for his fists.

What had started as a calculating bout between the two of them had devolved now into a scuffle in the mud. Engineer got a punch to the Spy’s lower jaw that sent him wheezing, but not before the Spy dug his knife into Engie’s shoulder, making him curse in pain back. Spy used the moment of weakness to reverse their positions straddling him now across the waist, attempting to choke the other man out. Engineer gasped for air; he could tell the man wasn’t just relying on the strength of his hands alone. The Spy was clearly using the full force of his body weight, backing it onto his toes and lifting his knees so that it all fell forward on his arms. Spy may not be able to crush a windpipe one handed like a Heavy, but he damn well made up for it either way.

“ _Die,_ already!” The Spy practically hissed.

Engineer however didn’t listen; he gasped before grabbing one of the Spy’s arms and roughly twisting it, sending them both coughing back into the hurtling dirt. Engineer grabbed Spy desperately by the collar, going for another punch to the face. Spy jerked his head before kneeing him again, reaching for his knife.

“Oh no you don’t,” Engineer practically snarled.

He made a grab towards Spy’s knife arm, as they both struggled undignified for it.

“Get – OFF – ME –” The Spy now angrily shrieked, “YOU – DISGUSTING – MAN!”

“Oh, _LOOK_ who’s talking,” the Engineer growled back, his voice hoarse as the knife between them went flying as well.

With an angry shout the Spy bit him undignified as he kicked, and bit him _hard_. The Engineer's grip loosened in surprised shock as he cursed, the moment allowing Spy to roll out immediately as he rushed to grab at his gun, still a few feet away.

“You fuckin’ _snake!_ ”

The Spy may be fast, but so was the Engineer. He ran forward swiftly, sending his own wrench flying, putting all his weight and power into his throw. The gun; Spy had managed to grab it. He turned around immediately, pulling down on the trigger.

The shot hit Engineer just as his wrench came in, concaving Spy’s skull clean.

With a swear they both went down, choking.

The respawn timer now ticked, as it sent them both back.

Engineer swore the minute he respawned, grabbing immediately for his gun. That fight may have gone down as a draw, but at least he could have the satisfaction of winning the war.

He wasn’t even two feet out the door though, when his earpiece mic crackled back on; it was the Announcer’s voice, breaking in clipped.

That wasn’t unusual, of course. The woman often turned to their speaker comms, letting them know how much time they had left or sometimes just to admonish them…usually the latter.

“All personnel must retreat and leave the battleground at once,” she said bitterly, clearly not happy to be giving her current orders. “Your enemies have been ordered off the field as well; you will return as soon as next Monday. Do _not_ ask questions,” she now snarled. Her end of the comms now closed up.

Engineer stood there in awkward silence, the corners of his mouth twitching. For god’s sake. They were stationed here for _bomb delivery_ missions. You either delivered the bomb or you didn’t; there was simply no way of stalemating that. And yet...here he was. He swore before kicking the dirt, walking back into spawn to grab his things. At least the enemy Spy would be just as unhappy, the Engineer thought with a sigh. At least he had that positive going for him.

Engineer for his part had a fair idea though of why the match was ended so suddenly; the only reason the higher ups would pull a move as drastic as that is if there was something loose and about on the field that they didn't want either team to see. He gave a low exhale, adrenaline starting to seep out of him. If his hunch was correct, then he’d be seeing a member of administration pay him a visit at his base.

Great…it wasn’t even a project he personally was working on.

Well, those were the breaks.


	13. Chapter 13

Engineer crossed his arms sourly as the visiting administrative staffer in purple scribbled on her clipboard, pacing around the space of his workshop. His intuitions from yesterday had unfortunately been correct…and he had been dragged away from breakfast for his troubles over the matter too.

“…So you’re absolutely sure you don’t have _any_ recollection of possible strange activity in the facility since at least two days ago? No staffers that may have seemed out of place?”

“Ma’am, I’ve barely been here two weeks,” Engineer replied evenly for what must have been the third time that day. “I’m still getting acquainted with my team just at this base, let alone the absolute beehive of employees y’all got permanently working over there.”

He knew this staffer from previous experience at least; while there were many he had met in his time that wore the color purple, when it came to the Badlands there was one with a presence larger than all the rest. He had learned her name fairly early on; she went by the moniker of ‘Pauling’ in her work here.

Miss Pauling sighed in defeat, as she finally stopped tapping away at her clipboard to give a look squarely at him.

“Listen. I understand your frustrations, but you _are_ one of the heads in charge of –”

“You know as well as I do that not a damn one of those AI experiments runnin’ about out there is from my division. I ain’t even working on AI in the first place – I wouldn’t want credit for that failure of a program anyway.” At this, the Engineer gave a snort. “Y’all should have listened to my advice and taken that partnership with Aperture back when they were still good for it. Their research in AI is still _miles_ ahead of anything else out there.”

“We’ve already had this discussion. Multiple times,” Pauling replied, her voice tired. “Contracting the respawn technology is off limits; nobody is even supposed to know it exists, let alone about the company war as a concept.”

Engineer shrugged irritably at that.

“Can’t blame a man for dreamin’ miss. With our respawn systems, maybe that Portal tech they’ve been experimenting on would actually see the light of day from development hell.” Engineer gave a sad sigh at that. “What I wouldn’t give to have some of that tech in my hands…”

“Listen,” Pauling cut in. “We can discuss hypotheticals all day, we really can. But right now, the Basin is infested with malfunctioning bots. And not just from BLU…from the looks of it out there, RED was running a program with similar intentions.”

At this the woman looked at him seriously; Engineer however didn’t appear to be particularly impressed.

“I can only assume their programming was just as childishly inept,” he replied deadpan.

Pauling could only rub her eyebrows in frustration at that.

“The tech _is_ very similar if that’s what you’re getting at,” she tried to explain. “What I’m _trying_ to warn you about though is that we think there’s a mole in BLU company’s ranks. If anybody needs to understand that issue, it should be you.”

“I thought y’all stole that garbage from RED first.”

“No, that was actually the medigun technology you’re thinking of.”

“…Of course.”

At that the corner of Engineer’s mouth twitched; if there was one thing he detested about his work here most it was the constant intellectual theft between the two companies. Maybe he’d be able to stomach the ‘theft’ more if the names behind the sciences being stolen were actually acknowledged, but that was rarely the case. Even with his own enemies, Engineer preferred the professional courtesy of proper credit where it was due.

“…Look. I sort of figured we would end up talking in circles like this,” Pauling sighed. “Let’s get to the point. Administration doesn’t want to be paying the mercs here for unplanned downtime; they also don’t want any of the mercs getting curious and poking around the battlefield during cleanup either. So you’re all being sent out on a mission together in two days’ time.”

At this the Engineer blinked, actually taken aback.

“That can’t work for me and you know that. My research right now requires –”

“We're aware of the issue. That’s why we’ve arranged for the previous Engineer stationed here to come back, if only for this one mission. _You’re_ staying.”

Engineer opened his mouth silently before immediately closing it again. He shook his head then quickly.

“What in…I thought the one I was replacing here was retired! You’re pulling a man out of retirement over some – who even _cares_ if the mercs here see any of those failed bots?!”

Engineer had managed to keep an even tone of voice so far, but the news he had been given made his mask crack; he was louder now, and clearly agitated.

“Hey, look I – I understand this is a frustrating situation, I do. I’m…I’m frustrated too!”

Engineer wasn’t the only one with a raised voice now; Pauling’s clipboard was forgotten as she raised her arms over her head in clear exasperation.

“I have _mountains_ of paperwork because of this situation that I now have to deal with, not to mention all the bodies I’m going to have to start disposing of soon. I have to spend my entire day questioning facility employees, I have tickets to arrange, and on _top_ of that I still have to take care of the work I would have been doing today anyway…this is the most unplanned work I’ve had dumped on me since the incident in Suijin!”

“…And over a fuckin’ waste of dollars of an AI program!”

“I _know_! Have you _seen_ the things out there?!”

“Can’t say I have, since top brass for some reason ain’t too happy with the concept of ANY of us driving anywhere near the usual battlefields! And for what?!”

By now Engineer was full blown angry, both his voice and Pauling’s raised at full volume.

“You’re right! It’s stupid! It’s arbitrary! And we’re both paying the price! Oh god, and you know, I still have all those appointments to arrange by six! Can you believe I used to be the only staffer working these rounds for the longest time?!” At this, Pauling waved her hands in clear blown fury.

“To be fair Miss, from the way I always see you stretched between what must be ten or so outposts out here, they still sort of treat you like you are!”

“I know!”

“Meanwhile I can’t catch a fuckin’ break out here either! A forced stalemate! On BOMB DELIVERY!”

“I don’t even know how the AI escaped! You’re right! The programming is AWFUL! I’ve _seen_ those things in action, and they have this really weird penchant to SPONTANIOUSLY COMBUST!”

“IT’S RIDICULOUS! _THEY’RE_ RIDICULOUS!”

“OH GOD, I STILL HAVE EXTRA PAPERWORK FROM ALL THIS TOMORROW TOO.”

“FUCKIN’ HELL, I PROBABLY DO TOO!”

“WHY ARE WE YELLING?!”

“I DON’T RIGHTLY KNOW, MA’AM!”

At that they both paused breathing heavily. Pauling slowly deflated, sinking into one of the chairs in the workshop with a groan.

“You’re not the first person I’ve had to visit this morning Mr. Sackett. _God_ it’s been a long day already…”

Engineer slowly relaxed as he looked over at her critically before hesitating, reaching down into a minifridge he kept below one of the tables. Pulling out two beers, he ambled over and held one over to her tentatively in invitation.

“…Looks like we both could use a stiff drink.”

She examined the beer for a second before snatching it and taking long a swig.

“…Thanks,” She said, wiping her face before looking up at him cautiously now. “Oh…oh! I shouldn’t have used your real name. Sorry, it gets hard sometimes keeping things straight between the engineers working double time on the field, and those that are strictly noncombatants – different rules around _names_ , you know how it is –”

“It’s not your fault,” Engineer replied quietly, interrupting before taking a swig himself. “You’re just another cog in the machine like me. I couldn’t be mad at you if I tried.”

Pauling stopped talking then, as they both sat there, silent understanding washing between them. For just that short moment, it was almost as if they were sharing a break. A short break, but a break nonetheless. The moment was only broken when Pauling set down her now empty bottle of beer.

“…I have to inform the rest of your team now before I drive out.” Pauling laughed awkwardly at that. “Got more people to question after all…and a few to well. Dispose of. You get me.”

“Yeah, I get you. Well, come on then. I got a few things to clean up here, but I’ll be right on up.”

Engineer stretched before placing his beer down, walking over to the doors of his workshop. He held it open for Pauling as she got up and walked out. They shared one last nod together before she pattered down the hallway out of sight.

“…What was all that about?”

Engineer jumped before whirling around to see the blue spy materialize, leaning on the closed workshop door next to him. How long had he been standing out there? Engineer gave a silent curse before dragging the man with a yelp back into the workshop with him, hopefully before Pauling could see.

“Alright,” Engineer said now, frowning as the man across from him simply dusted his jacket off. “How _long_ were you out there exactly?”

“A fair while,” Spy could only reply sheepishly now. "I was trying to listen in but it seems you have your…area here soundproofed quite well.”

Engineer groaned before grabbing his half-finished beer from the table and washing it down in one go. Spy watched him curiously as he slammed the bottle down before pulling out another from the minifridge and irritably opening it.

“…You used a sonic destabilizer to turn off my door sensors, didn’t you?”

“Hm,” Spy shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, that would be one way of going about it…I can’t lie. But you still haven’t answered my question.”

Engineer’s expression stayed sour as Spy’s gaze still examined him, looking him critically over up and down. Engineer pretended to ignore it as he sat heavily on top of one of the tables, continuing to down his drink.

“…They’re sending y’all out on a special mission away from the base…I’m staying here though. On account of my other work. I’m sure you’ve read my files,” he added bitterly. They would all learn this soon anyway; this part of the truth at least he could share.

Blue Spy blinked at him in surprise.

“…They’re sending us without an Engineer?”

“Nah, they wouldn’t do that. Your old one is coming back. Guess they convinced him on short notice that one last job might be fun,” Engineer muttered coldly over his beer before sighing. “Anyway. She just wanted to inform me first. Privately. Before she started talkin’ to the rest of you.”

“Ah…I see.”

Blue Spy gave him another curious look before cautiously walking over and sitting on the table next to him. Engineer didn’t move or say anything; he merely gave a grunt before taking another swig. It was blue Spy that broke the silence once again.

“…Do you mind if I smoke in here?”

Engineer paused before turning around to the other man slowly.

“Thought you promised to give that habit up.”

At that, the corner of Spy’s mouth twitched slightly up.

“Yes well. Nobody’s here. Your workshop is rather private and…look,” Spy whispered now, a slight note of desperation in his voice. “Have pity on me.”

Engineer shrugged before rolling his eyes in relentment.

“…Fine. I ain’t a snitch.”

Spy wasted no time pulling his cigarette case out, snapping at one and lighting it quickly before he slowly savored a good long drag.

“Ah,” he breathed finally as he exhaled a cloud out in blissful relief. “God I’ve been itching to do that. Scout’s been on me like a _hawk_ since that unfortunate morning. Your fault by the way,” Spy continued as he shot the Engineer a look of humor.

Engineer only raised his eyebrows at that, as Spy merely shrugged now in reply.

“Alright, I’ll level with you,” Spy pressed on unfazed. “Ever since our last match ended the way it did your demeanor has…changed. I hope you don’t take this negatively, but I just wanted to check that everything was well. Okay.”

At that Engineer paused; he looked back to Spy now a second time, leveling a good hard gaze. Blue Spy for his part didn’t turn away, holding his eye contact back. He took another drag of his cigarette, face still set and serious. Engineer frowned, lips pressed.

“…I suppose that’s why you were trying to listen in on a private conversation too?”

“Administration staff visiting never means anything good,” blue Spy replied with a shrug. “It’s like being asked to go to the principal’s office as a child; you can’t exactly blame me for being worried.”

Engineer narrowed his eyes at that before leaning back quietly, never breaking his gaze. Engineer hated to admit it, he really did; but the red Spy’s words from the other day still nagged at him. The concept of blue Spy talking to the others about him – about his _past_ behind his back really grated at him.

Not that he really blamed the man. Engineer knew what he had been like.

He knew his own records…in a way, his reaction was a little irrational.

And yet…it still bothered him.

“You’re a Spy, not a saint. Even if you _are_ on my team, you’ll have to excuse my lack of trust.”

At that, Spy blinked.

“I was under the impression we were working together quite well,” he said now slowly. “I’ve encouraged and helped enable most of your plans too. If you didn’t trust me before, I’m unsure why you’d only bring up this issue now.”

Engineer sighed with frustration at that.

“You’re a professional; I expect you to work with the team at least a _little_ bit on the battlefield. But you…I’ve barely been stationed here you know,” Engineer finally replied carefully. “And normally folks don’t warm up so quick, but you’ve gotten awfully friendly far faster than anyone I’ve ever met…and I _know_ you’ve read my files. You _know_ what I can be like.”

Spy kept silent as Engineer continued to frown at him, before giving another irritated grunt.

“Even when I suggest ideas or plans, _you’re_ the one that smooths things over – if it weren’t for you that very first match when I arrived, the rest would have given me _hell_ for running behind on my own back there.” At that, Engineer took another vexed swig of his drink.

“I don’t get it. I don’t get why you’re going through all the trouble, all this _extra_ trouble given what you know. I don’t know what to make of you quite yet. What’s your _game,_ Spy?”

“You’ve read my files too, haven’t you?”

The cadence of Spy’s voice hadn’t changed; he still stayed calm and reserved as Engineer quietly considered his response.

“…I have. I know you were moved around a bit too before landing here, although not as much as me,” Engineer added with a snort. “Other than that though your records are clean as a whistle. Ain’t much on you, but that’s to be expected, given your profession.”

“So you haven’t accessed my medical records then.”

At that Engineer truly paused.

“…Son, I know better than to fuck around with Medics.”

At those words Spy couldn’t help but give a small laugh.

“I suppose you’re right about that,” he finally added. “If you had though, you would be aware that compared to your average Spy I’m a bit less…well. A single rocket is more deadly to me than anyone else in my profession; I can’t afford to take as many _hits_ as others in my line of business.”

Engineer could help but stare as he gave another long sip of his beer. Spies don’t normally talk about themselves…at least not to this extent. And if they did, you could usually bet that they were lying. He barely knew if he could believe him, but Spy apparently saw this hesitation coming as well.

“I can take you if you’d like to corroborate that later,” he added with a shrug. “I’m not lying. In terms of averaging ‘hit points’ the units spies can take in the field is around 125; the same goes for your average engineer, scout, and sniper. All other classes average a little above that number, with the only wild outlier being those in the Heavy weapons classes. I’m sure you’re at least vaguely aware of this, however.”

“Uh…yeah, I guess.”

Engineer silently kept to himself that he was more than familiar with the hit point system designed by the medical field here, due to the nature of his own work off the frontlines; the less blue Spy knew about that, the better.

“Hm, I’d hope so. I’m unfortunately a little below expectations on that end; on the charts, I clock in at around 100 points instead. Quite low, as you can imagine.”

Surprise flashed across the Engineer’s face for a moment, before he pushed it back down; he still continued to frown, however. Some things about the way he saw Spy fight in the past though were beginning to make sense, and nothing was clicking as a lie…yet. He watched as Spy pushed the cigarette he had been puffing at back between his lips, firmly holding it there as he gracefully pulled his knife out of his pocket to start twirling it lazily.

“…You’re faster than other spies. That’s how you survive.”

At those words from Engineer, Spy grinned.

“You catch on quick; I may be _frailer_ than your average Spy, but I _am_ faster.” A soft chuckle escaped Spy at that. “I’m quick on my feet; I’ve grown very nimble and agile over the years. When other spies get a kill in an area, their location becomes broadcast and known. When _I_ get a kill in an area, by the time my original positioning is reported, I’m already long gone.”

Spy flipped his knife again with yet another twirl; it looked more battered than any of the other switchblades Engineer had seen spies use in the past, that was for sure. A broken Italian switchblade left permanently unsheathed, with bands of blood-stained tape holding it together from the base.

Most spies wouldn’t be caught dead using a beat-up knife like that.

Spy saw him examining the knife and grinned.

“It may not look like much, but it’s like me; we’re both _Big Earners_ – we don’t bother too much with style, but we bring home the bread,” Spy added with a gleam in his eye. “You’ve seen my work on the battlefield. You know how dangerous a Spy that is _quick_ can be.”

Engineer paused as he continued to examine Spy carefully.

“That I can’t argue with,” he finally said. “…But I’m having difficulty understanding what you’re getting at here.”

“Well,” Spy sighed now with a shrug. “How I actually performed didn’t really matter to most of the teams I was stationed with.”

Spy shot him a bitter smile at that.

“Every time I died, even if I did well my… _fragility_ was brought up. Most of my colleagues didn’t trust a Spy they saw as inherently weaker than all the rest. My methods are odd, but they work. I made them work, time and time again, yet still…well. Are you understanding what I’m getting at?”

Engineer stared for a second, before the pieces all started to snap together in his head.

“…Oh.”

“Mm... _oh_ indeed,” Spy took another drag of his cigarette before pulling it out one-handed to exhale. “I know what it’s like to fight tooth and nail for any of my talents to be recognized. Even if my methods are odd. Even if people don’t respect me simply because I don’t dress or pretend to put on airs that are expected of my class. I know who I am. I know what I am good at. I…sympathized.”

Engineer’s face reddened as he quickly snapped his gaze away to stare back now in feigned interest at his own drink. Several thoughts were racing now through his mind although he couldn’t articulate any specific one particularly. While he blamed that on the beer, he knew quietly he was lying to himself.

“So you’re sayin’ you’re acting out of pity then, huh?” Engineer’s voice cracked, laced with sarcasm.

“Camaraderie,” blue Spy shot back, without missing a beat. “Your files didn’t scare me. They never could. I know what it’s like; I just didn’t want to see you fight that fight alone.”

“…How much did you share with everyone else?”

Engineer still kept his gaze down and level with his beer in stubbornness, even if he was no longer drinking.

“…Anything I shared. I shared to accommodate you…not to scare them,” Spy answered now, voice still maddeningly, frustratingly, cool and calm. “I hope you don’t take me for that sort of a man.”

Silence washed over them now; Engineer didn’t respond. Spy simply sat there, waiting patiently as he continued to smoke. For a man that prided himself so much on speed, he was _incredibly_ patient.

Engineer didn’t know why that frustrated him so much.

“How the _hell_ did a guy like you end up being a Spy?”

Engineer finally broke the silence, shaking his head in exasperation as he finally downed the last of his drink. Spy for his part merely shrugged with a laugh as he finished the last of his smoke as well, quietly putting his knife back away.

“I’m still a Spy, Engineer. Allow me to keep _some_ secrets,” Spy replied with some humor.

Engineer finally turned his eyes back up from his bottle, squaring his eyes at Spy searchingly, cheeks still tinged a little pink. They examined each other carefully for that minute.

“…I don’t know if it’s the beer or what, but I think I actually believe you.”

“You seem like a man that can hold his drink.”

“…You’re right. Darn.” Engineer sighed at that, shoulders relaxing in defeat. “I suppose I owe you an apology…and some thanks.”

Spy hesitated before reaching a hand over and giving Engineer a small pat on the back.

“You don’t owe me anything,” he replied quietly. “You’re _our_ Engineer now; nothing’s going to change that unless you decide to leave on your own. Until then, we have to work together.”

At that Engineer gave a low chuckle of his own.

“Not during your next mission, I ain’t. I’m stuck here, unfortunately,” Engineer said with a sigh.

“It’s only temporary,” Spy shrugged. “Our old Engineer is a retired man; he’s not coming back for good. But _we_ will be. And when we do, we’re going to need _you_.”

Engineer froze for a second, trying to figure out what to say…what to say at all to _that_. There were a lot of things he wanted to say really. He’d never been too good with people. Gelling with them, really.

He ended up choosing to get up abruptly instead.

“We should…upstairs. The administration staffer is preparing to debrief y’all and we should uh…probably get up there.”

Spy quirked his head as Engineer stumbled over his words before tossing out his used-up cigarette and getting up himself.

“…Yes, I suppose we should go,” he said now, choosing to go along with the Engineer’s change of subject rather than call him out.

Spy paused for a moment as he put his cigarette case away as well, before giving Engineer another sheepish look.

“This might seem like a strange request, but would you perhaps…mind if I came down here more often whenever I feel the urge to smoke?” At this, Spy’s expression turned more pained. “I’m not kidding when I tell you that Scout’s been hounding me.”

Engineer leveled a look at him, considering his next words carefully.

“…Given we just discussed what a damn glass cannon you are that might be irresponsible of me.”

Engineer shook his head though in humor as Spy’s face fell.

“Alright, I can’t stand to see a grown man in despair…how about we compromise on once a week?”

“ _Thank you_ ,” Spy practically whispered in relief, as Engineer unlocked the doors to his workshop for the second time that day, escorting him out.

“Weren’t nothing,” Engineer replied, trying to keep some dignity about him as he gave the workshop doors one last lock before they both headed out.

He had been wasting time letting the words of some enemy get to him; at the end of the day, Engineer knew who he could trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When designing blue spy, I decided on his weapon of choice being the big earner knife; and what that knife basically does is make you trade health for speed bonuses in game. I thought it would be fun to give an in universe explanation for why a spy who works like that is the way he well...is. While my fic makes heavy use of game mechanics, my approach to the universe is more grounded. For example, instead of health packs and metal floating around on the map, I invented those 'sub-dispensers' early on in the fic. That's why physical spy checking was retooled the way that it was as well in earlier chapters, since friendly fire here also exists. I hope that makes sense to y'all reading so far! Oh, and before I forget - I've been working on fleshing out the character designs of all the mercs. If you'd like to see that stuff, check out my post here: https://writingdispenser.tumblr.com/post/616303619392798720/i-said-id-post-the-character-visual-development


	14. Chapter 14

Red Spy barely tuned in the administrative staffer that morning, as she debriefed them all on an upcoming mission the company was setting them up for. Typical; RED was too cheap to give them paid off time, but it was also clear they didn’t want any of their hired mercenaries poking around the battlefield after yesterday’s… _events_. A sudden call for ceasefire like that was nearly unheard of, especially in their field of bomb delivery defense.

Yesterday’s events.

Just the thought of yesterday’s events gave Spy mixed feelings. On the one hand, he’d finally succeeded at throwing the blue engineer off, even if it was for just a moment. Spy kept his face passive, although he was smiling inside his head at the thought of that; wiping that stupid self-assured smirk _had_ felt quite sweet. It was a shame then, it really was that he couldn’t wrap a neat bow on the whole affair by securing an overall win. Truly a shame.

Frustrating even.

Spy shook his head at that, choosing to scan the rest of the room now to see how his fellow colleagues were taking the news. Soldier and Scout seemed excited at the prospect of a change of scenery at least. Medic seemed almost bored sitting there; Heavy kept his expression passive, as did Sniper. Spy tried not to smirk himself when his eyes met Demo’s who made gestures in joke back while the staffer wasn’t looking. He paused though when he finally got to his team’s Engineer and Pyro.

It appeared as if Pyro was less concerned with what the staffer was saying then with the stickers they had begun slapping all over themselves and the engineer who seemed to be going along with it calmly. Those two had always been fairly close, Spy knew that. They had even taken to carrying matching stuffed dolls, although they set those away in Engineer’s workshop when the team was on off hours. This was an unusual turn in their relationship…whatever their relationship was.

Spy didn’t really interact with his team’s Pyro much on account of bad first impressions involving his suit getting burned. While he was wearing it. His skin had been nearly scorched as well.

There had been a lot of shouting from both sides at the time, if he recalled.

By proxy of course, that meant he also didn’t interact as much with his engineer as he normally would given how much time the two spent together.

With all the events Spy had been dealing with lately though, maybe he did need to talk with an Engineer actually invested on his side.

“So when will we be leaving?”

Spy turned away from that thought as heard the Medic now interrupt.

“In about two days’ time,” the staffer quickly replied. “You’ll all be gone for about a week, so pack accordingly. All travel will be arranged through the company.”

A week. 

A week?

Spy couldn’t afford that. He silently cursed in his head. For one thing, he wasn’t about to let himself get ushered away from finding out what exactly had gotten loose in the Basin for himself. Something _had_ to be loose out there; otherwise their usual arenas wouldn’t suddenly have become so off limits. For another…he needed to find out how that Engineer of theirs had learned of his old soldier associate. He may not have spoken to the man in years but…somehow the blue Engineer had known. Had _used_ that information to throw him off.

Spy had gotten too used to his time stationed out here; the concept that an Engineer would do some background digging on his own simply hadn’t popped up to him...the dangers of making too many assumptions based simply on class roles. That was his mistake, and it would be his only one – Spy wouldn’t let it happen again. If details on his past truly were floating around out there, he would have to take care of that and quick. He also couldn’t just let what the blue Engineer did slide; he’d have to do some additional digging on his background as well. He still hadn’t quite finished going over all the computer records he had made off with after all…that would be a good place to start. The enemy team being entirely gone from their base would present him with ample opportunities too.

Right; he wasn’t going to be leaving with his team for the week…oh no. He was going to make arrangements to be able to stay put right here. Thankfully he knew just the woman who could help…someone who had helped him many times before.

One thing at a time however. Spy patiently waited for the staffer to finish talking and start wrapping things up, before making his way towards the door.

“Hey, Spy?”

At the sounds of the red Engineer’s voice, Spy paused. He turned around carefully, as he saw the man make his way towards him, the Pyro following not far behind.

Of course, Pyro was staring at him.

Spy tried not to make a pained expression as he turned around; if he was going to be able to collaborate more with his Engineer he’d have to get past the issue of his Pyro eventually. The time may as well be now.

“…Is there something you need, Engineer?”

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about a situation that happened last…” At that Engineer paused before looking around carefully. “Best we talk about this in my workshop.”

Now that perked Spy’s attentions…he supposed he could bite.

“I’m open to the concept. Are… _they,_ by chance?”

Spy tried not to gesture too much at Pyro, who continued to stare openly at Spy from behind Engineer’s back. Engineer for his part looked between the two of them, before sighing in remembrance. The man turned to Pyro now, giving his shadow a look.

“…Firebug?”

Spy couldn’t quite discern whatever the Pyro was saying muffled behind their gas mask in response. They were definitely pointing at Spy though, whatever they were saying.

“Firebug. Darling. You got to promise me not to.”

Spy decided not to ask what ‘not to’ meant in this context, as the Pyro continued to unintelligibly respond. He quietly wondered if Pyro really _did_ keep a personal earpiece just for talking to their Engineer. The most Pyro did for the rest of the team was use a series of hand signals. He watched now, as Engineer put a hand on Pyro’s shoulder as if to calm them down.

“Listen. I understand, I do; but _please._ For me?”

Pyro gave Spy one last look, who for his part simply stood their stiffly waiting for whatever this was to be over. He could do this; he had dealt with worse after all. That’s what Spy told himself anyway.

Finally, Pyro gave a shrug, before turning back to the Engineer. Whatever Pyro responded with, Engineer for his part gave a relieved smile before turning back to Spy himself.

“You should be fine. I’d suggest keeping a good distance to be safe but…”

“I’ll take your suggestion,” Spy responded in a clipped tone of voice, before gesturing towards the door. “Shall we, then?”

“Oh! Yeah, of course.”

The three made their way down, Spy taking Engineer’s advice to heart and keeping a healthy space of at least two feet between them. Finally they got to the man’s workshop as he fished a set of keys out.

“…I don’t think I’ve ever visited your workshop before,” Spy mused out loud, as the Engineer finally got the door unlocked.

“Well, first time for everything,” he replied back.

As the door opened, Spy couldn’t help but lean to look curiously inside…he wasn’t entirely sure what he expected. In some ways it was exactly what he would assume an Engineer’s workshop to look like. In other ways, the Pyro’s influence on this domain was clear. While most of the workspace was dedicated to the Engineer’s many schematics himself, there was ample space for the Pyro’s own number of projects in pyrotechnics and weaponry as well. At least one area of the workspace had been converted into a large sprawling pillowfort too, with a television set nestled hidden inside.

Artwork was plastered all over the walls, with one table in particular dedicated entirely to just art supplies. There were bookshelves with both the kinds of reading materials Spy would expect of an Engineer, and books that had to be to the tastes of Pyro specifically; books of fairytales, fantasy and romance. No children’s books though, Spy was mildly surprised to note…they were all chapter books, some even comics. The artwork on the walls were actually somewhat competent as well.

There was a door slightly ajar to one of the sides as well, revealing a bedroom…hm. Converted from storage space. He knew Engineer liked to sleep down here instead of in his officially assigned bedroom; the man rarely left his workshop if he could help it.

“Alright then, to business,” Engineer said breaking Spy out of his thoughts.

The man quickly closed the workshop doors behind the three of them, locking it.

“I assume there is a reason for all this sudden secrecy?” Spy calmly asked.

He had to admit, he was more than a little curious by this point. He made to take a seat, eyeing Pyro carefully all the while who for their part continued to eye them back. No movements from them…yet.

“Multiple reasons,” Engineer grumbled, as he walked over to a kitchen set in the back nearby. “Coffee?”

“I’m fine thank you,” Spy quickly replied.

Engineer shrugged as he turned the pot on then just for himself; Spy carefully considered the Pyro, who leaned back on one of the tables in the meanwhile. One leg was crossed over the other, a foot tapping slightly. Spy wondered what was going through their mind.

“I’ll get to the point then; someone was… _impersonating_ our Pyro the day before yesterday.”

“…What?”

Now _that_ was interesting.

“Thing is,” Engineer muttered as he pulled out the pot, “They weren’t using disguise tech from Spy Co…that much was clear after the fact, and that’s what’s throwing me off most about the whole thing…”

“You’re completely sure?” Spy asked.

“Yes, because I –” at that, Engineer hesitated, cheeks starting to tinge pink. “I…physically spy checked them…whoever that person was. They were all there. In the flesh. If they’re developing some kinda new disguise tech over there, you gotta let me know now.”

“As far as I’m aware there hasn’t been a disguise kit developed yet that can bypass current methods of physical spy checking in the way that you describe,” Spy replied softly, mulling the information over. Engineer was clearly holding something back.

Engineer poured himself his cup of coffee before walking over and sitting down at one of the other chairs nearby Pyro with a sigh. Pyro for their part continued tapping their foot; Spy was starting to think this was their way of showing they were agitated.

“If they weren’t using a disguise kit though, then how did they bypass the facility’s respawn connected security?” Engineer rubbed his forehead in frustration. “It just don’t make sense…if they were using traditional disguise methods, it would have to be someone from RED itself, right?”

“You’re suggesting an inside job?”

Well…that would explain why Engineer had been so hesitant to talk in front of the staffer.

“…The other options don’t seem as likely…so yes.”

“Engineer, I thank you for thinking of coming to me first regarding this,” Spy smoothly replied, as the other continued to frown quietly over their coffee. “…Is it possible to explain the events that led up to this discovery from the beginning?”

At this he could see the Engineer’s cheeks flush brighter, the man immediately taking a gulp of his drink to avoid talking, if even just for a bit. Pyro paused their agitated tapping to look over to the man, seemingly worried now.

…Ah.

He’d seen that look from Engineer before.

The man was normally very reserved in public; even around the rest of his teammates. The furthest Spy had ever seen him go outwardly with signs of affection as far as he was aware were the pet names he had given Pyro…

And whoever this intruder was had apparently been alone with the Engineer.

Disguised as _Pyro._

The reasons for Engineer to be so hesitant with details were starting to become clear.

The reasons for Engineer’s hesitance to talk to the team as a whole, choosing rather to pull him aside instead first were becoming _abundantly_ clear.

“I…” the Engineer softly muttered now, eyes cast down to his cup as Pyro shifted over now to place a comforting hand on their back. “Uhm. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to uh…talk to you first. I figured you’d know how to go about this given your profession…and you also wouldn’t make uh. Comments. You know what I mean.”

“I’m not Scout.”

The small joke from Spy managed to elicit rough laughter from Engineer who finally looked cautiously up.

“Listen. I know the rest of the team needs to learn eventually but I…I want to know if I can trust you to do it for me instead while holding back on. The details. From me.”

Spy looked at Engineer critically, knowing he had to choose his next words carefully; the man met his gaze, looking almost defiantly back. Engineer's expression had hardened; he was steeling himself.

Spy had to give him credit; he was brave.

He knew of so many others who would have held onto such information if only to save their own backs.

“If anyone knows how to be discreet with which pieces of information they share, it is me,” Spy finally said. “If it were to make you more comfortable though, you should be aware that you are not alone.”

He gave Engineer a pointed look as the man opened his mouth before closing it just as quickly again.

“Do you mind if I smoke?” Spy asked briskly to break the silence, pulling out his cigarette case.

“…No. Go ahead.”

At that Spy snapped one out and took a long drag, as the Engineer began examining him closely once again.

“…Are you…?”

Spy now looked to Pyro curiously as the words from Engineer still hung. The lenses of their mask were still on him, the comforting hand on Engineer’s back suddenly more firm; protective.

Spy exhaled a plume of smoke.

“You could say my tastes are quite varied in terms of art…I’m quite a fan of Leyendecker’s.”

Spy looked at the Engineer now, whose face went back to fixed as he observed back; the subtleties were different now though. The subtext had silently carried over between them.

Engineer was the one who broke the silence first.

“…It was around later in the day at the time,” he said slowly. “I was looking for Pyro all over the damn place since well…”

Engineer looked over to Pyro now who sheepishly shrugged.

“You know how many times Pyro’s been in trouble for tryna’ burn the trash.”

“Ah…I do recall that issue in the past, yes.”

At that Spy grimaced; he was _more_ than well aware. One couldn’t forget the smells.

“Right,” Engineer continued now, leaning in. “Well I finally ran into who I _thought_ was Pyro in the hallways instead. Here’s how I can be so sure it wasn’t the work of a spytech case; I did not just do…the usual form of spy checking. If I had just given them the ol’ thump on the back, maybe I mighta missed the glitches, I don’t know…”

“I’m listening,” Spy continued, keeping his voice soothing and calm, dragging another smoke.

“I hugged him,” Engineer finally said evenly. “Quite deeply. I had my head on their shoulders. I uh…touched their…forehead…” he muttered now, voice reverting back to embarrassment.

At those words Spy could see the Pyro’s other hand curl into a fist; their face may be unreadable, masked as it were, but the body language spelled it all.

They were _definitely_ not happy with this whole affair.

Maybe the stickers they’d been so liberally plastering all over the place had been their way of responding to this; a way of avoiding something similar in the future.

“When did you discover then, that you were dealing with a double?”

“I didn’t for a while…not until well – alright see, I _told_ the Pyro I saw in the hallways to not take too long in the showers, because their show was coming on in an hour.” At that Engineer sighed. “So when Firebug there didn’t show up I knew something was off.”

“Interesting…where was the _real_ Pyro during this time? I assume you’ve spoken about this.”

“Yeah. Yeah, we have. Well we did,” Engineer said as Pyro’s foot started tapping again, an irritable grumble now coming from behind their mask.

Spy raised his eyebrows as Engineer waved a hand in response.

“Don’t worry about it; Sparkler’s just been clean upset about the whole thing since then…I may have given them the cold shoulder for a while thinkin’ they skipped out intentionally after uh…what. Happened.”

Spy could see the Engineer’s face start tinging up once again.

“It’s fine; I’m listening. Please continue,” Spy said steadily, in an attempt to calm.

Engineer shook his head, finally bringing himself together.

“Well. Long story short we talked yesterday again after the match. Turns out they said they found a…well a stash of sweets. In the shed out back. They followed a trail there.”

At that Spy leaned forward for real in interest.

“A _trail_?”

“Of more sweets, yeah. Firebug has a sweet tooth a mile wide. They fell for it hook, line and sinker.”

Spy leaned back now, considering this information thoughtfully. He wondered who the imposter they were dealing with could be; another Spy? Someone else hired by the RED company? But why…?

“Do you remember where in the hallway you ran into this imposter?”

“…Well it wasn’t that far of a walk from the other showers.”

“Hm…that doesn’t give us much to go off of.”

“I’m tryna remember what rooms were nearby,” Engineer sighed. “There’s a lot of storage in that area too if that’s what they were after. I think we keep a lot of record rooms there too, now that I think of it.”

Spy’s eyes widened, the pieces of the puzzle in his head starting to click.

“…The employee records room,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“The record rooms,” Spy said more deliberately now.

…That little shit.

That clever little shit.

He kept the thoughts racing through his head to himself as he turned to face his own Engineer, taking another puff in agitation.

“Well at least we can cross another wandering Pyro off the list,” he muttered now to save face. “That seems unlikely given Pyro’s side of events…this was something clearly planned.”

Spy saw Pyro give Engineer another look before wrapping both arms further around him, as Engineer hesitated before leaning in.

All Spy could think about though were the employee record rooms – the _computers_ in the employee record rooms. It had been a while after all since he last checked what had been digitized for himself.

The blue Engineer…come to think of it Spy had broken into the enemy team’s computer systems only that same day. Were they really thinking together that similarly?

“Do you perhaps remember a rough estimate for what time you ran into this imposter, exactly?” Spy asked seriously over his cigarette.

“Oh I’d say it was much later – definitely past six,” Engineer quickly said.

The blue Engineer had driven off much earlier than that in his truck; then again maybe he was picking supplies up. As he mulled over the timeframe, something else in Spy’s head clicked…after six.

He had been playing piano with Demoman after six.

 _Pyro_ had been in the rec room after six.

Or so Spy had thought.

“…If you don’t mind me addressing a question to Pyro,” Spy said quietly now. “Did they ever visit the rec room when they returned from the…shed?”

Engineer gave Spy a questioning look, before turning to Pyro who paused in thought. Slowly, Pyro shook their head; the answer was no.

Damn.

_Damn._

If Spy’s hunch was correct…what game had the enemy Engineer been trying to play?

Entering the recreation room, putting himself in danger like that…what tactical advantage could that have possibly given him? Why would he risk his own cover so stupidly?

Clearly the man wasn’t _stupid._

“We’ll have to arrange a meeting with the team later this afternoon,” Spy interrupted his own thoughts abruptly, tossing his now finished cigarette away. “I’m going to be out earlier, so afternoon works best for me. I should thank you however…for trusting me though.”

At those words, Spy paused, before continuing.

“I know we do not exactly…interact much.”

The whole time they had been talking the Engineer’s shoulders had been tensed; defensive. Only now did they finally relax as Pyro gave them a small squeeze.

“Both our faults really,” Engineer replied quietly with a small laugh. “I don’t think either of us really made the effort after the…incident.”

Spy made a pained face, before immediately wiping his expression.

“I tried to forget.”

“They didn’t mean no harm…I think what I was tryna say at the time, over all the shouting was just uh…they got excited when they saw you pull out your lighter.”

Spy paused over his smoke.

“…Ah.”

“You know how Pyro gets excited over fire…they’d been keen watching you whenever you used it and…well they saw it weren’t _working_ that day for you so they figured…”

Spy sighed before he leaned back in his chair, fishing out yet another cigarette; he needed another smoke.

“…Oh my god,” he murmured softly now. “…They were trying to light my cigarette.”

“They uh. Might’a thought y’all were ‘likeminded’ when it came to fire.”

At that Spy gave a snort.

“Did they also think _my_ suit was like _their_ suit?”

At those words he heard a muffled sound from Pyro now who was looking back up at him. Spy froze quietly as he cautiously gazed back.

“…That’s about the gist of it, yeah.”

“My cigarettes,” Spy repeated to himself slowly now once again, dumbfounded. He exhaled yet more smoke, watching Pyro’s reaction more carefully now.

He should have noticed before the subtle ways they perked up at just the sight of _smoke_.

“I suppose a lot of hurtful things were said at the time really,” Engineer shrugged sheepishly. “I don’t blame you, really. I was surprised you even came down here with me. Thought you’d turn me down, but it was worth a shot…”

“No no. It’s fine. It’s…”

Spy paused, holding his currently lit cigarette away as he pulled out a fresh one. Hesitantly he held it out towards Pyro who tilted their head thoughtfully towards it. Pyro looked towards Engineer who looked between the two of them slowly before giving a gentle ‘go ahead’ nod.

Pyro reached forward and took the cigarette, twirling it in their hand attentively. Spy passed his lighter towards Engineer who caught it before shrugging himself now.

“I don’t trust myself enough to take that step yet, but would you mind lighting it for them?” Spy asked, putting the one he had been working on back between his lips.

“I can do that…yeah.” Engineer gave him a soft grin before turning to Pyro now and giving the cigarette a light.

He heard what must have absolutely been a chuckle come out muffled through the gas mask. Pyro twirled the now lit cigarette in amusement in their hand, pretending to puff at it now themselves. They waved it in the air and watched as the embers gleefully fell.

“Huh,” Engineer laughed much more relaxed now, passing the lighter back to Spy. “I don’t think you can try smoking that with your gas mask on there, darling.”

Pyro gestured towards Spy now, with more muffled words as Engineer snorted back.

“I hate to do this to you Spy but…would you mind walking outside for just a second? I’ll holler when you can come back in.”

Spy gave a curt nod before doing just that. He waited silently against one of the walls, listening curiously for whatever was going on inside. Nothing so far other than rustling.

Suddenly, the sound of hacked coughing and a swear came through, causing Spy to start as Engineer’s laughter burst out now for real. Spy waited patiently until the swearing and laughter finally stopped, and the grumbling became muffled under a gas mask once again.

“Ha…Spy I think you can come back in…I don’t – ha, aw, I don’t think they liked that much,” Engineer finally managed to get out, still giggling a little bit as Spy walked back in, Pyro looking disappointed between them.

“Not a habit for everyone, I suppose,” Spy said, keeping his face dignified as Pyro looked almost sadly at the still lit cigarette now. To be harmed by one’s own element; there was something almost poetic there to that cruelty.

“Aw man, I needed that laugh,” Engineer finally sighed. “I’ve been on edge over this I swear…”

“Nothing to worry about,” Spy said, still choosing to keep a safe distance as he passed the other a quick thumbs up. “We’ll get this sorted; I’ll make sure of it. You have my word.”

As Engineer continued to thank him gratefully, Spy gave one last wave before heading out once again. As he walked to himself, the thoughts he had been holding back crashed right back forward to his head.

The _employee records room_.

It was so simple really…how had Spy not thought of it sooner?

He didn’t know _how_ the blue Engineer had managed to bypass RED’s alarm system, but the man _was_ an Engineer of caliber enough to be working at an offsite facility. The concept that he’d figure out a workaround wasn’t completely out of the question.

And knowing how that Engineer functioned on the battlefield alone…the odds of a blue teleporter being hidden somewhere in RED’s base were very high.

He bit his cigarette then at the thought; both teams were sure to be heading out in two days. If Spy himself had seen that as the perfect opportunity to strike, then the same in turn, was absolutely true for the blue Engineer. At least now, Spy thought to himself, he had managed to get a step ahead.

He could work with this…he absolutely could work with this.

Absolutely, he’d have to figure out what information had been digitized in his files since he’d last checked and wipe the evidence, but still…he could work with this.

First however, he’d have to make arrangements in order to be able to stay.

And for that, he’d have to visit Regine’s place. A visit down to the den as it were.

Spy exited towards the garage quickly, fishing for his keys; it was an open secret among all spies working under the employ of the warring companies. Out there in the badlands were certain select entrances that opened only to those in their specific profession.

Two establishments existed that catered specifically to the desires of spies; one exclusively for those employed by RED, and one for those by BLU…Regine of course, ran the establishment of Spy’s own current affiliation. Spy of course, was well acquainted with her.

Quickly he opened his card door, and unlocked a secret compartment down near the floor. From it he pulled a few slips of paper and a stashed wallet of cash that he just as quickly slipped into the inside of his coat’s jacket. He closed the car door shut, relocking it before heading out.

Spy turned on his cloak as he began to walk; every outpost had their entrances really. And Spy was more than well aware of where the entrance for Regine’s place was out here in the Basin.

The establishment supplied the usual luxuries, Spy supposed. Alcohol; a bar. Good music. Poker…gambling. Room to smoke and talk where nobody but fellow spies could see. That wasn’t what Spy was visiting for however.

There were other services offered of course, if one were to talk personally with Regine; for a fee. Spy needed one in specific…one he had come used to requesting in the past, as certain jobs of his came in.

Spy needed someone to take his place working with his team. And he needed that someone to be able to do it without anyone from administration knowing.

This of course, was one of Regine’s specialties.

Spy found the entrance he was looking for near a collapsed cave opening by the rocks. He walked inwards, still under the safety of cloak. Quietly, he tapped on one of the walls of rock; for a second it shimmered. Just as quietly he passed a hand through, still cloaked as he waited patiently. Softly there was the sound of digital scanning.

He felt a hand softly take his and followed their cue, slipping unseen right through.

Spy wasn’t in Badwater Basin anymore; he was within the walls of The Black Rose.


	15. Chapter 15

As the door behind red spy closed shut, a light from around its frame flashed as the door operator turned the dials and levers behind him.

“Welcome back sir,” the masked man softly said, the two exchanging curt nods before Spy walked promptly to the elevators ahead.

As he made his way towards one to the right, the machinery behind him let out another bell chime ring. At the sound the operator returned to his dials and screens, in preparation to allow yet another Spy in.

Spy punched in the floor number to Regine’s offices level, waiting patiently now for his lift to come down. Just then the door he came from flashed once again, opening to let strong gusts of snow and wind burst through.

“ _Goddamn,_ I could use a proper drink! _Nothing’s_ coming in from requisition these days.”

The Spy that just entered shook off his winter coat, stamping his boots of all snow in a huff.

“That bad over in Coldfront right now?” The operator asked calmly as he pressed another button, shutting the door behind them closed.

“Storms out there right now have been delaying _all_ the trains.”’

“My condolences; do remember that you can always place requisitions through our services as well.”

“Don’t I know it,” the other Spy grumbled.

Fully shaken off he now walked over to the elevators himself; Spy ignored him as his lift finally came down, getting in. The last thing he needed was to get distracted by small talk.

Spy didn’t tend to come to The Black Rose to socialize himself, although he respected Regine for what she had built here; for the most part when he came it was for business rather than fun. He always went straight to Regine, leaving just as single mindedly.

Not that having a place where he could pick up on the latest news from other spies wasn’t useful, he mused as the elevator took him on up. Spy gossip however could be a bit…much at times. Dreadful even. There was always ‘someone to keep an eye on’ and someone or other making waves. Not to mention the tall tales; general favorites tended to include the old legends of a cryptid lurking in the drainage canals of Well and other stories of similar yellow papers caliber.

Sometimes, spy gossip was better avoided then indulged in…lord knew most of it wasn’t useful to him anyway. He was paid just to kill mercenaries in Badwater Basin, after all – nothing more, nothing less.

The elevator’s bell chimed when it came to the floor he wanted to be on and Spy exited, walking languidly over to the seating area ahead of Regine’s own office door. Thankfully due to the hour, not many other spies were waiting outside. He nodded to one or two of them, as they sat in chairs outside ahead.

“Long time no see Emil,” one grinned, looking up from his cigarette case as he adjusted the side of his mask. “You’re here early.”

“Speak for yourself Andre,” Spy snorted.

The use of his chosen work name didn’t surprise him. Class names were useless monikers in an establishment where _everyone_ was a Spy after all; the use of codenames was a given here.

“Storms haven’t subsided for a while over in Barnblitz,” Andre now shrugged. “Making requisition orders is useless right now through official channels.”

“So I’ve heard,” Emil replied calmly, taking a seat and crossing his legs himself. “Coldfront too…I suspect all the northern outposts are affected.”

“The storms are affecting trains a little further than that,” the other Spy – went by Marc if he recalled – sitting across from them irritably said. “It’s affecting those of us stationed at the sawmills too.

Emil and Andre murmured their sympathies as cigarettes were pulled out between them all to smoke.

“I thought Regine had other people for off the record requisition services,” Emil said thoughtfully as he took another drag.

“All booked right now,” Andre laughed. “So we both ended up waiting here anyway.”

“Ah…that bad then?” Emil joked.

“Must be good for business here at least,” Marc grumbled.

One of the doors across the way buzzed open as another Spy left, causing Andre to shoot up.

“Well that’s my cue,” he cheerfully said, waving jauntily behind as he made his way over.

It was only Emil and Marc now. Marc simply shrugged as he continued to puff sourly.

“Apologies for my lack of scintillating conversation,” he finally sighed. “It hasn’t exactly been a good couple of days recently.”

“Well,” Emil grinned now as he exhaled some smoke. “You’ll be happy to know you’re not alone. Any good stories from your troubles at least?”

“Trade me a good one and you got a deal.”

“You’re on.”

“Alright,” Marc said, finally beginning to crack a grin. “Did you know they brought the expanded team size program to the sawmills too?”

At those words Emil winced; he’d heard about the experimental twelve man teams the companies had been tinkering with.

The program had only been in place for a few years in a handful of outposts, but apparently they were expanding – or at least transferring the trials now to other locales.

“The blue team got three more pyros,” Marc now groaned. “More people have been dying to the saws than usual because of that as late.”

Emil gave a look of pained understanding at that. Working at outposts with hazard zones of that caliber were recipes for trouble on their own without the addition of three more airblast happy pyros added to the deadly mix.

“Hopefully your lot got mercenaries that are more…useful.”

“I suppose I don’t mind the addition of another soldier, loud as he may be,” Marc said with a shrug before wrinkling his nose. “It’s the two extra scouts that have proven to be a hurdle.”

“Terrifying,” Emil replied deadpan, although he meant it in complete seriousness. _Three_ scouts. He would have chosen to retire right then and there.

“Yes, my misery _has_ been an ongoing plight I agree,” March said with another drag, mouth still half quirked though through the cigarette smoke. “Alright then…your turn.”

“Oh, nothing much really,” Emil started modestly as he chose his words carefully.

He was _not_ going to talk about the blue engineer in front of Marc.

“They closed all the battlegrounds of Badwater Basin for the upcoming week; sending us all off on outside missions since they’re too cheap to give us paid off time.”

At that, Marc barked out loud in laughter; Emil supposed to himself that the information wasn’t _that_ incriminating to share, given anyone could learn if they actually happened to pass by the outpost or asked anyone else.

“ _Really?_ Why did they go and do something like that?”

“Not the faintest idea,” Emil grinned. “They get _quite_ upset if they see anyone walk an inch close.”

“Not suspicious at all.”

“No, not in the slightest.”

It was at that moment that the door to Regine’s finally opened, as a spy Emil recognized from Borneo quietly exited the doors, walking past them.

“I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you Marc,” Emil said, getting up.

“No offense taken,” Marc replied as he simply leaned on back in his seat, closing his eyes.

Emil walked on past with a nod, before stopping to knock on the door to Regine’s politely. At the soft words of acknowledgement from inside, he opened the door quietly and slipped in, closing it just as carefully from behind.

“Emil,” the woman’s voice languidly said. “Long time no see my dear.”

“Likewise,” Emil replied respectfully, as he gave Regine a courteous nod from across her desk.

Regine smiled, her eyes crinkling albeit half obscured behind the veiling of a dark lace mask.

“Have a seat.”

“Thank you,” Emil said, promptly doing just as she asked.

In many ways Regine’s office was just as elegant as she was; and also much like her, it somehow in addition carried an air of warmth and veiled familiarity. It was the plants most likely…Regine always had a fondness for them. They creeped and grew around the room, flowers in full bloom. He knew that on one of the floors, she had indulged in an area built entirely as a greenhouse garden, just for her and her alone. It was inaccessible through the normal elevator systems.

Half the floor was of course also dedicated to poisonous horticulture, but that was neither here nor there. The only reason he even had this knowledge of the private gardens was his familiarity with Regine before he had ever even come to work in the Badlands…she had been a Spy for much longer than he had ever been. Her age didn’t show however. Most would never have guessed.

If you paid attention though, the distinct edged maturity that laced under the languid smooth sweetness of her voice became abundantly clear.

“So,” Regine breathed, putting down her cigarette holder. “I think I can take a fair guess as to why you’re here…but I’ll let you do the talking anyway.”

She gave him a knowing smile as Emil could only shrug, returning it with a small one of his own.

“I suppose you could…I need a replacement.”

“Hm. For how long?”

“In two days’ time, for about a week; an off base mission.”

“Ah…” she said now with some thought. “Off base will cost you.”

“You know I’m willing to pay. _And_ that I’m good for it.”

“Mm…true,” Regine mused, a soft upturn now to her lips. “You’ve been a good boy in the past.”

She gave a small laugh however.

“Well. Maybe for only _so_ far in the past.”

At that Emil stiffly froze, giving her a look...he couldn’t help it if the corner of his mouth quirked though as well.

“I wasn’t _that_ bad,” he weakly protested.

“Perhaps you're right,” Regine considered with some amusement. “Your…crazy American was moreso the bad influence.”

“Alright,” Emil shrugged now in defeat. “I can’t argue with that.”

The laugh Regine gave twinkled, quiet though it was. She shifted in her seat, motioning to the bottles on the desk between them.

“It’s been too long; you never visit unless it’s work. Do indulge me in a drink, dear.”

Emil wanted to refuse, but this was Regine; refusing her had never felt right.

“You know I can’t say no to you.”

Regine gave another one of her inscrutable smiles before pouring out two drinks; she passed one to Emil who took it politely as she delicately took a sip of hers.

“I’m sure we can put business on pause,” she said now. “You’ve come at a good hour.”

“Hm…perhaps. Not if I needed any requisition orders placed though, I would assume.”

Regine gave a low chuckle at that.

“Ah yes…the storms. They’ve been causing _quite_ the stir.”

“The stir seems to be working in your favor at least.”

“Oh my dear,” she smiled now over a sip. “There’s always something to take advantage of somewhere.”

“We’re both in the right profession then.”

“Hm…” Regine said thoughtfully now at that. “I was fortunate to be able to make that choice in my career. I knew this was what I wanted. For others…”

The look she gave Emil was unreadable as he took a more muted sip of his own drink himself.

“…It was a matter of survival.”

He finished her sentence for her. Neither of them said more than that on the matter.

“I suppose the companies were quite happy after the war,” Regine replied softly now. “All those mercenaries it produced for them.”

“Like us then.” Emil’s voice stayed subdued at that.

“Yes…the stir seemed to work in their favor.”

His own words back at him now, as he quietly considered his glass.

“…Not exactly the turn of conversation I was hoping for over drinks.”

“My apologies dear,” Regine replied, sighing gently. “One does tend to get more morbid with age.”

“Age? You don’t look a day over twenty.”

Emil saw the opportunity to bring back some levity and latched onto it; he smiled then as his ploy worked. A flicker of laughter as Regine leaned back.

“I’m old enough to be your mother…hm. No…your _grand_ mother.”

“And yet here you sit looking like my _sister._ None of your clientele have a _clue_.”

“Ha…well. That _is_ the idea my dear, after all.” At that Regine passed him a wink. “I’m afraid I may be keeping you too long however. Shall we return to business?”

“You could never keep me from anything Regine.”

“Flattery,” she grinned. “Keep working on it dear. It’s quite sweet.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Emil grinned back.

“Well then…where were we?”

“The replacement request.”

“Ah yes,” Regine said. “…I assume your request isn’t for your usual reasons.”

The look she gave him was more knowing now.

“I heard about what happened in the Basin...although none of my agents were able to get too close.”

“So you know then.”

Emil should have figured; she was one of the best after all. She wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t.

“As much as I can know,” Regine shrugged. She took another sip, finishing her drink. “You’re one man Emil…be careful.”

“I’m always careful.”

Regine raised here eyebrows imperceptibly as Emil sighed back.

“…Alright. I’m more careful _now_.”

“Hm…well you are still alive I suppose.”

Regine smiled as she set her glass back down, Emil merely raising his eyebrows back.

“Quite cruel of you; I have no way of politely responding.”

“My apologies dear,” she said, still looking on in quiet amusement. “But perhaps we can cut a deal…for old times’ sake.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Oh darling, think nothing of it…my request is quite simple,” Regine said graciously. “If you are able to discover the reasons as to your outposts closure and live to tell the tale, I simply ask that you relay that information to me…with any hard evidence, if possible.”

At these words she gave Emil another look.

“As I said…none of my agents were able to get close; I’d like to know why. If you are able, consider your replacement service complimentary. If you are unable, you will of course then still have to pay.”

Emil paused carefully, considering now the offer placed before him.

“You know me Regine; we might as well just write the payment off entirely as free.”

At that, Regine gave another pleased laugh.

“Confident as always; good. Consider your request then approved.”

“Thank you; will it be the usual spy you assign for me?”

“I suppose so…you’re informing your own associates of the arrangements as always?”

“It’s simpler that way,” Emil shrugged. “Thank you however…an offsite mission would be best with someone they are used to working with.”

“Think nothing of it…if there’s anything else you need though dear, now is the time to ask.”

At those words Emil paused thoughtfully, finishing the last of his drink as he set down his glass.

“You’ve never asked that of me before.”

“Hm…I suppose not.”

Emil kept his face passive as he studied the way Regine was examining him…she knew something. He’d seen that look before.

Many times actually.

He frowned inside his head, although he kept his face cool; she knew something, that much was clear. And she was waiting for _him_ to tell _her_.

“…Is there something I should know about?”

With Regine sometimes it was best to be straightforward.

The way she studied him was careful…it gave away nothing.

“I understand why you don’t usually visit the lower floors dear; I take no offense to that,” she finally said, picking her cigarette holder back up now and taking a drag. “However…take my advice. It would behoove you to try a change of pace. If only for today.”

She exhaled a stream of smoke now, giving him another look.

“I don’t usually give information like this for free dear.”

Emil nodded stiffly at that.

“I don’t take it for granted…thank you.”

Regine nodded graciously as she motioned a hand now towards the door.

“You may leave then,” she said ending the conversation there simply. “Remember though… _Emil._ You’re always welcome here.”

Emil gave her one last look, considering his words before opening the door.

“…And I express my gratitude for that.”

He exited now, closing the door with softness behind him.

He wasn’t going to take Regine’s words for granted, he thought to himself now as he walked back to the elevators. No, not him. Calmly, he set the lift to go now to the bar and gambling floors.

If there was anything he knew about Regine, it was that whenever she told him something…even hinted, suggested at _anything_ …inevitably she was always right.

He got into the elevator, and waited until it took him on down.

The elevator door gave a bell ring, opening now to the music that played through the smoke and din. The atmosphere was already in good spirits as Emil quietly slipped in.

He made his way to the bar, gaining curious looks from other spies who weren’t used to seeing him down here as he passed. Emil could tell just by looking that most of the spies already milling about were from the northern outposts. Without the usual supplies from requisitions and the heavy storms they had all come running to the one place with some semblance of civilization like moths to a flame.

Emil caught snippets of conversation as he passed, nothing so far standing out as particularly remarkable.

"But have you ever been to Well?"

"No I haven't but--"

"Then you don't know!"

"Yes I _do_ know because squidmen do not _exist!"_

"But have you personally checked every inch of the tunnels of Well yourself Oliver? Hm?"

"Of course not!!"

"Hmph. Some Spy you are, making such denials without even bothering to find proof."

" _You're_ the one making wild claims without proof!! Squidmen do not exist!!"

" _No proof_ , you sit here and say. I’ll have you know, I have it on good authority that my Heavy’s wife’s ex’s father’s tailor spoke directly to the Scout who saw the squidman, and _he_ said the boy had a detailed account and everything!”

_“Do you hear yourself Felix?!”_

Emil rolled his eyes as he passed by _that_ particular snippet. Spy gossip…its nature never changed.

He finally stopped when he got to the bar before briskly ordering himself a drink. Quietly then, he scanned the rest of the room as he waited.

What should he be looking for? What had Regine been hinting at? Nobody that he saw seemed to stick out to him yet…perhaps he’d have to go about figuring who he should be conversing with randomly.

He paused though, as his gaze passed over one of the walls nearby…there was quite the crowd around. Emil rolled his eyes for a second at that; the deathcams wall. The practice itself was almost childish really. As far as he knew it began when both spy establishments had somehow gotten access to the kill feeds systems, including camera shots taken at every mercenary’s exact moment of death and kill. The wall of fame was constantly periodically updated, with an entire boutique area set up for spies to pick up shots from their own work that day.

And if there was anything spies loved it was a bit of competition for nothing more than simple bragging rights…a bit of sport really.

Not to mention the opportunity to laugh at someone else’s misfortune.

It didn’t help that spies were allowed to come up with their own captions, the “best” among them often being chosen on the floor.

Emil paused at the thought before frowning; there _were_ more spies than usual hanging about today, although that may again have also been a symptom of all the northern outpost closures.

Still though, Emil considered this observation quietly, before finally accepting the drink he ordered as it came to him. He’d received more than the usual expected curious looks on his arrival. He’d noticed smirking. Looks of _another_ variety.

A few giggles, hidden behind soft leather gloved hands.

Alright.

Something was up.

Smoothly he got up carrying his glass, walking over now to the deathcam walls himself in feigned apparent boredom. He paused taking a sip as he scanned.

He had to stop himself then before nearly choking.

It took him more than a full second to regain control of himself, before looking up a second time incredulously to the wall once again. No…it couldn’t be.

Please god no.

There on the wall, the spot meant to highlight frames of particular interest was spotlighting two together with shared quality. One was of himself being killed, the blue engineer’s wrench making dirty work of his unfortunate head; Emil winced as he saw that. And there right next to him was another deathcam…the blue Engineer himself, shot down in the same fracture of a second by Emil’s own bullet.

Emil was almost afraid to look now at the caption.

He sighed in defeat as he finally gazed down and read it, downing the rest of his drink in one go.

_“The Happy Couple”_

Typical. How Typical.

Fucking _Spies_.

Fucking _assholes._

“Hm. Our little vagrant coyote is in Badwater Basin now it seems…poor bastard.”

At the sound of those words, Emil gave a start before immediately turning around. The Spy behind him blinked before looking back.

“Ah…you’re the poor bastard.”

The other Spy gave him a curious look before reaching out a hand.

“Call me Hadrien…I was stationed in Upward; I’m currently in Viaduct.”

Emil looked the man up and down with a raised eyebrow before slowly returning the gesture.

Another spy from a colder clime it seemed. He wore smart winter boots and an unbuttoned tasteful jacket, sunglasses he had most likely been wearing outside stuck now in his front pocket.

“…Call me Emil.”

“Emil then,” Hadrien said while cracking a small grin. “I see you’re already making a splash.”

He gestured to the wall now, vaguely in the direction of the most visible shot of the blue engineer.

“Welcome to our…strange club.”

“Club,” Emil responded deadpan.

Hadrien blinked before quirking his head.

“I figured you would know, given your situation.” Hadrien nodded towards the photos again. “He’s one to keep an eye on.”

At those words, Emil couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“You’ll have to forgive me on that front…spies tend to have a _lot_ of people they think everyone should keep their eyes on.” Emil nodded back towards the wall himself. “Engineers are no exception.”

“…True. How about you come over to our table and sit with us though. I’ll buy you another drink.”

Emil returned a look towards the deathcams with a grimace before looking back now towards Hadrien; was this what Regine had been hinting at?

How long were those photos up there for?

How long had she _known?_

It barely registered to him when he reached the table Hadrien led him to, the other spies sitting there looking up from their cards and alcohol as they did; at least ten or so altogether.

“There’s more of us,” Hadrien said with some humor as he sat down pulling out a smoke. “Just not as many here right now. Currently a lot from the North...and further south I suppose,” he said nodding to one or two members of the group.

Emil sat down himself as he fished out a cigarette as well; he _really_ needed a good smoke right now. He muttered a small thanks as Hadrien ordered him another of the same drink he’d downed only earlier.

“This is Emil,” Hadrien now began as he turned towards the rest. “He’s the red spy stationed over in Badwater Basin.”

Some murmurs of sympathy were expressed around the group; none of the spies at the table looked particularly interested in their cards anymore, as they all looked curiously now to Emil.

“Around the table we go then,” Hadrien said motioning towards his left.

“Alain,” the first one fixing his glasses said before nodding. “I’m stationed in Double Cross.”

Alain looked to be the youngest of the bunch; he appeared to dress quite classically, although his style seemed for the weekend if one still wanted to look smart. He looked the more subdued bookish type.

“Elode,” announced the woman next, with a bright smile and a clipped British accent next to him. “I’m from Snowplow; charmed.”

Emil nodded to her politely; the woman had her long coat thrown over the back of her chair, but still wore her scarf loosely around her neck. An additional headscarf was also still worn over her balaclava, although hers was of thicker cloth than most…well, that was unsurprising given the locale of her stationing.

“Jourdain,” the next man stiffly said, peeking over the brim of his hat from his cards. “Steel.”

Jourdain was mostly introducing himself to go along with the rest of the group; the two were vaguely aware of each other from past run-ins involving off team jobs. Emil figured an outpost like Steel was better suited for someone like him. While his gut judgements were normally quite accurate, if given too long left alone with his thoughts the man was liable to his observations flying off into fanciful embellishments and concepts. An outpost like Steel with its fast pace and labyrinthine layout forced him to depend more on those solid, immediate instincts.

The rest continued introducing themselves down the line, starting with Ernest from Snowycoast. An older spy compared to the rest; face thinner but sporting an impressive mustache all the same. His demeanor gave off the air of an endless patience that could endure the worst of your average scout, and a dry if not slightly mean sense of humor. His accent was more nebulous than most, but hinted towards an Italian background.

Jules from Granary gave a small grunt as he introduced himself after…older looking then even Ernest with his battered overcoat and hat. He wore glasses like Alain, although his were again of a more old fashioned style. Even under the balaclava you could see the ghosts of older scars that no medigun or respawn could entirely remove away. The older a spy was the more wary one should be; it was no small task living to that age in this sort of job.

Leonel, another Spy from the Sawmills gave a lazy grin of his own as he added to the greetings – he was part of the intelligence defense team as opposed to Marc who was part of territory capture. One of the few spies at the table let alone the bar who let his hair out…which made sense given the climate of Sawmill. It was wet there; the rain was constant and nonstop. Better to let it flow free then get nasty and matted under a layer of wool. A bandana acted as extra protection to keep water further from his eyes...or well. The one eye maybe. Eyepatch. The practical kind in short. Willing to forego the fashion and tastes of a good suit if waterproof leathers would get him through the job easier.

Martin from Lakeside tipped his hat as he came next, passing a low wink as Emil had to work hard not to roll his eyes in response. The dreadful mustache and sunglasses combination was one thing. The fact that he sat their quite proudly with his suit jacket wide open, chest hair shamelessly displayed was quite another. Emil wrinkled his nose inside his head…he hated the flirtatious type.

Lyam from Mossrock elbowed him before smiling in apology, sharing his chosen name. Lyam looked to be on the younger side like Alain, although he seemed to lean towards the more practical fashions shared by Leonel. Mossrock was a more jungle outpost after all; it probably served him well to dress the part. A pair of goggles was worn pushed up over his hat, an additional face mask pushed down now under his neck as he smoked with the rest.

Nathanael from Gorge joined Lyam in shaking his head, not afraid to wrinkle his nose in front of Martin outwardly. Nathanael was dressed more military, a smart coat and a fixed beret, a stern look barely visible behind tinted sunglasses. That look and stern demeanor was probably intentional; it was the kind of presence built to cut through even the dumbest of Soldiers. If Emil had to guess they probably followed him around like kittens.

Kaori from Suijin was last…the sweet softness of her voice clashed hard with the monstrous features of the full face mask she wore depicting a demonic visage with horns. While the robes she wore were of a more Japanese style, it was still clear she was a spy like everyone else. A pair of headphones rested idly around her shoulders as she sat there, unused for now out of politeness.

“Well that’s everyone,” said Hadrien now smiling back good naturedly at Emil; his gaze was clearly critical though. Searching.

Emil wasn’t born yesterday…he’d seen that sort of look before. He wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever if Hadrien also doubled as a con man outside of his work officially as a Spy.

“Quite the band,” Emil now calmly replied, not giving any reaction away. “You’ll have to pardon my surprise given that none of you look as if you’d fraternize under normal circumstances.”

At those words a few barks of laughter and soft chuckles.

“Our gathering sort of happened…unintentionally…” Hadrien tried to explain, smile quirking. He turned now to Jourdain. “Which one of us was the first again?”

“Valentin, but he’s not here today.” At this Jourdain shrugged before looking back to Emil. “He was the first of us to be stationed against our little coyote vagrant, and the first to take notes on his file.”

At those words, Emil raised his eyebrows. While he’d heard rumblings about many an engineer on the blue team, the only one he had given any semblance of noteworthiness to was the one bearing the Conagher name; a name that meant more close ties to the top, which meant more likely value to him.

Anyone else he barely paid attention to…the waves they created barely made any difference to him given where he was stationed, and barely had any relevance to his outside work. He had never expected any of those waves to now sweep up _him._

He should have expected something like this though; the blue engineer had been transferred around a lot after all. He was _bound_ to have made some kind of an impression on the spy scene.

“You’ve all given him a nickname,” Emil stated, choosing not to address it as a question.

At that, the others shrugged.

“Is that not what he is?” Hadrien pointed out first in mild amusement.

“He’s short. He’s a vagrant, never in one outpost for long. He’s a mangy mutt. The shoe fits,” Ernest added deadpan.

“We had bets on where he was going to end up next,” Elodie said now with a smile. “My money was on Thunder Mountain…poor Alain though was most off. He guessed Brazil!”

At that Alain coughed over his drink before frowning, setting it down.

“They only recently opened outposts there,” he replied trying to smooth himself. “It wouldn’t have been completely out of the realm of possibility for him to have been one of the first mercenaries transferred.”

“Always guess the outpost with facilities nearby Alain,” Leonel grinned. “Also you all owe me now; I guessed he’d be moved back to the Badlands so I’m the closest.”

Grumbles around the table as money was passed over to him now. Emil quietly observed this all before accepting his new drink when it came to him, calmly drinking from it between drags of his cigarette.

Not just a splash then; his blue engineer seemed to have built himself more than that.

Oh no…he had a following.

“Well we have him now,” Hadrien sighed. “At least I’m no longer the newest member of our merry group. Speaking of…”

At that, Hadrien pulled out a smart leather case from under the table, handing it now to Emil, who for his part accepted it graciously, albeit curiously.

“Those are all the files, starting with Valentin’s,” Hadrien now explained. “It’s almost tradition at this point; they’re yours for now until he’s moved again.”

“That’s about ten years’ worth of notes boy,” Jules finally chimed in, giving him a look from where he sat. “Every spy that’s had to deal with his tomfoolery has added to it.”

“…Ten years.”

That information didn’t surprise Emil; he knew his blue engineer had been under contract for quite some time. Still, he commented.

“As I was saying earlier,” Hadrien continued apologetically. “This all started unintentionally.”

“Valentin was taking notes just for himself initially,” Elodie shrugged. “But then then our little vagrant mutt got transferred, and the _next_ Spy ended up on the death cams wall. So Valentin shared what he had written.”

“Then that Spy added his own observations,” Hadrien continued with a grin. “Before our little coyote vagrant was transferred and his lucky stars sent _yet another_ red spy to the death cams board as well.”

“He gets the idea,” Nathanael now said sternly over a drag of his cigarette.

The more Emil thought it over, the more all of this started making sense. His blue engineer was both a veteran, and someone who jumped from base to base, never staying too long at one. Perhaps things wouldn’t have gotten to this point if he had stuck out longer at one or two of them.

Perhaps the trail wouldn’t have gotten this long, or grown quite to this ridiculous point.

“Guess you could call it a slow burn,” Martin drawled with a smirk, still looking at Emil with interest. “You’re the first one we’ve seen who got _two_ death cams for their troubles though.”

“Mutual Kills,” Emil replied, pretending to seem uninterested, “Are rare. I should say I’m not surprised.”

“I don’t know,” Martin said leaning in now himself. “ _I’m_ impressed.”

“Can it Martin.”

“Down, Martin.”

The usual admonishments cropped up as Martin merely shrugged, moving back while keeping his grin.

“What? I haven’t done anything.” He turned back to Emil though, raising his eyebrows in mirth. “Definitely read my notes first. I’m the only one of four who tried the more…seductive approach.”

At that more snorts and scoffing went around the table.

“ _Seduction_.”

“Come on…”

“Hey now, give me some credit! I got _Alain_ to try it.”

More spluttering, this time from Alain now.

“That was _once_ ,” he managed to hiss.

“Oh darling, don’t listen to him,” Elode now laughed with a snap of her cigarette. “I’ll teach you sometime, how about that?”

“Turn her down, Alain,” Ernest now said, downing his drink. “Won’t get you anywhere good.”

“Getting off topic boys,” Kaori quietly cut in, gesturing now back to Emil.

“Hm,” Hadrien now said, musing out loud. “I suppose you’re right though. Mutual kills _are_ quite rare.”

“Yes…a lot of other spies are going to start talking. You should be aware,” Kaori added. She kept her eyes, veiled behind her mask though they may be, on Emil.

If Emil wasn’t trying to keep his face passive he would have narrowed his own eyes in return as well.

“I suppose I should thank you for the…heads up.”

“Well,” Hadrien now shrugged. “That’s how spies are after all.”

“Spy Gossip,” Elodie chimed in with a grin. “It never does change, does it?”

“Well…” Emil said as he tapped the newly acquired briefcase with one foot. “I suppose I at least have a bit of a head start.”

“That’s what they all say,” Jules muttered as he took another sip of his drink. “You kids enjoy your fun though. I’m retiring on out of here once my current contract is done.”

“We’ll miss you old boy.”

“You’ll get over it,” the man snorted again.

“I’m sure we can discuss more over cards,” Hadrien smoothly continued. “Nathaneal was going to win again anyway; we can restart, if you’d like to be dealt in.”

“…Hm,” Emil now considered, exhaling smoke from the cigarette in his hand. “Depends; what game are we playing, by chance?”

At that, a few of the spies across the table grinned.

“A variation of Bullshit; anything for a lie goes. Still want in?”

A twelve man game of no bars held Bullshit where everyone was a trained Spy sounded absolutely chaotic…and quite fun, if he was being honest.

Regine as always it seemed, was right.

He really did need to socialize more.

Emil put out his cigarette before leaning forward.

“Alright; deal me in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to keep this many spies straight was something, lol. Post on how I developed the vibes of each spy on my blog: https://writingdispenser.tumblr.com/post/617055754389749760/so-chapter-15-had-a-lot-of-spies-near-the-end-i
> 
> And Regine's Inspo: https://writingdispenser.tumblr.com/post/616972547556294656/my-main-sources-of-inspiration-when-coming-up-with


	16. Chapter 16

It was a deep hour of night when Spy finally opened the suitcase, at a desk in a secret room of his, hidden away from the knowledge of even his teammates. It was here that Spy conducted most of his business…although this wasn’t part of one of his more usual jobs. He had already figured that the new engineer on blue was going to be an annoyance to him after that very first match, but this level of baggage wasn’t exactly something he had been expecting. He unfiled every piece of content from the case meticulously, organizing it all between contributing spies, outposts, and the chronological order of dates.

Most of the documents were written files, of course, but additional materials were present as well. Photographs, which Spy had expected, although some video tapes were also there; something Spy found rather interesting. He had a hunch some were probably smuggled from security cameras on the field, no doubt. The rest though, he wasn’t so sure…he’d have to watch them to find out.

He knew where he wanted to start, though; right from the beginning.

Spy was vaguely aware of Valentin, as over the years the man had become a fixture in the Well circuit. Although Spy didn’t have to run the gauntlet himself, he was more than well aware of the function it served at the outpost; it was to put new unproven recruits through the wringer. See what they were made of, in short. They dumped you on intelligence defense duty and if you pulled your weight, you’d get moved up to area control capture, just a train ride across. Spy wrinkled his nose at the mere thought of the process; he was glad he’d been able to avoid the place, honestly. From everything he had heard, it was packed, crawling with mercenaries like ants.

In all honesty, the Well as an outpost may as well be split into two separate ones functionally, possibly three; connected as the facilities all were by railroad. Nearly identical, but different enough in terms of the job requirements in the ways that mattered. Usually recruits only stayed in the Well until a more permanent opening on a different outpost was freed up. Either that or they’d be sent off when new teams were being formed or fresh jobs arose. Valentin though…Valentin had stayed.

Spy paused when he finally got to the man’s files in question…Valentin. Given that these files were from a little over ten years ago, Valentin must have been a new recruit himself at the time. The fact that Valentin never left, Spy supposed, was rather unusual. He’d ranked up to area control capture quite quickly, after all, from what Spy knew. Regardless of his reasons, however, he had become integral over the years in the training process of the recruits for RED since then. It was this unique context that made any possible insight the man had of especial interest to Spy. It wasn’t just that Valentin was the first, so to speak; he’d seen the blue engineer, observed him during such fresh time in his learning phase. Had gone on to train others, and would notice certain things even other spies wouldn’t given this background of his. Or, well, Spy hoped, anyway. Carefully he opened the folder containing Valentin’s files, and flipped to the very first page.

* * *

* * *

**Valentin | Outpost: Well | Circuit: Intelligence Defense | Date: 08/24/1958**

Time since my initial stationing has been three weeks. The following is an excerpt of notes on one of the BLU mercenaries requiring special attention from my overall observation files on all combat hires between both companies. Identification information listed below.

Class Identification: Combat Engineer | Listed Name: Clifford Sackett | DOB: September 8, 1927

Listed Mercenary Experience Prior to Hiring: No Records, No Paper Trail. Most major work experience prior to hiring at Builders League United (BLU) at a BLU affiliated oil company.

Lack of formal mercenary experience on record is the reasoning for his stationing in The Well. Actions taken on the battlefield however do not match the assessment of the paper records. Initial excerpts of combat observation notes attached refer to Clifford Sackett as “Blue Engineer B” – there are three other engineers currently stationed as new recruits for the BLU team, hence the letter differentiation. Due to their nature as off the cuff observational notes, the writing and tone of voice is less formal.

* * *

**Week One | Date: 08/04/1958**

****

[…] Blue Engineers C and B actually move their ass while Engineers A and D sit on their ass in the intel room. Blue Engineer C dumps out mini sentries and relies mainly on his shotgun to protect himself. Blue Engineer B uses regular sentries but keeps trying to see how far he can move them up enemy lines like he’s poking a bear with a stick to see how much he can get away with.

He has patience but he vibrates like a jackrabbit while hovering around the BLU side of the tracks waiting for those openings. Hops from one foot to the other with about as much pent up energy as a scout on his fifth can of Bonk. Less combat experience then Engineer C – actually no combat experience on record but shows good instincts still on when to move up despite that. Can shut down an area real quick when he spots an opening and sticks there until you pressure him hard. Always manages to escape with his life, annoyingly enough. Not sure between C and B which one is more annoying though.

Trickier part of dealing with B is he uses the Frontier Justice; a shotgun designed specifically to charge up critical hits upon each sentry’s kill and assists, to be activated once the sentry itself is destroyed. They’re his get out of jail free cards when our team manages to pressure him off territory…the gun wouldn’t be that big of a deal though if the scouts and pyros didn’t keep running like lemmings into the damn turrets. Going to have to talk to them later…especially the scouts.

**Week One | Date: 08/06/1958**

Managed to talk some sense into the scouts. Put up a death count chart in the main meeting room which got them to sober up real quick. They’re actually trying to improve their kills to death ratio now which means they’re actually looking around corners these days. Therefore less feeding into Blue Engineer B’s critical storage…a net win in my book. Going to need to have a completely separate talk in the future, about prioritizing their ratios over the objectives though since that’s the newest issue cropping up between them all. Trying to get scouts to break bad habits is like trying to hit all the gophers in a carnival game with a mallet; once you think you’ve got them all down a new one always pops up.

Started convincing the blast classes to collaborate more, in better news. Now every time I sap there’s always a soldier or demo ready to take advantage of the opening and blow the bastard sky high so progress there. As to Blue Engineer C […]

**Week One | Date: 08/08/1958**

Looks like Blue Engineer B discovered the wonders of teamwork himself; ended up getting chummy with Blue Pyro A. Didn’t think too much of it at first since that Pyro couldn’t airblast an explosive to save his life last I checked. This time though he not only managed to airblast, he killed a few soldiers with their own rockets; pretty big turnaround in less than a week. That Pyro is always fucking around in RED’s backline too usually…pretty big turnaround in fighting style as well then since he was playing bodyguard all match this time around instead.

Blue Pyro A was always the flighty type though from what I’ve seen so far so hopefully boredom hovering around that jackrabbit will get to him to wander off on his own soon enough.

[…]

Additional note. Broke into BLU team’s base like I always do on weekends. Looks like my hunch was right; Blue Engineer B’s been helping Blue Pyro A train up his reflect skills. Must have been going at it for five hours give or take when I clocked them. Don’t know how Blue Engineer B learned to handle a rocket launcher so quick. Usually Engineers blow themselves off their feet whenever they try and handle one of those things the first time. Always gives the soldiers a good laugh when they offer. Soldiers can be dicks. Then again I’m a spy so I guess I can’t talk.

**Week Two | Date: 08/11/1958**

Ha, I knew it. Blue Pyro A didn’t last long. He got bored and wandered off…guess who took the opportunity to strike? Should have seen Engineer B’s face; ah he looked so disappointed. It was great.

Looks like he started switching his strategy completely though; guess he didn’t want to taste betrayal a second time. Now he isn’t even trying to place sentries in “useful” places; he keeps putting them in places you would realistically never expect an enemy sentry to be. You know, like an asshole.

On the one hand, great, he’s drastically less useful this way. On the other hand, now the scout death count is skyrocketing again, which means more criticals in his gun bank, which means in the end more bullshit. If the scouts at least communicated the sentry locations more over mic instead of swearing all the time over the airwaves this wouldn’t be as much of a problem. Even when they do try to tell us where the sentry is their idea of a callout is “it’s over there by the thing with the other thing” which isn’t exactly descriptive or helpful at all. I’m going to have to draft up some easy to remember names for different areas around The Well and mark them up on a map for them to memorize during our next talk.

Visited BLU’s base a few times again, by the way. Haven’t seen Blue Engineer B and Pyro A talking at all; more like the Engineer’s avoiding him, if anything. Works for me, I guess.

**Week Two | Date: 08/13/1958**

Well, now he’s started pushing sentries more brazenly right in front of the RED team’s gates. Every time this guy tries out a new tactic there’s always an element of asshole to it. That’s alright, though, I just sap his teleporters from spawn. It’s almost cute watching him go on a whole wild goose chase desperately between his spawn and back to his freshly destroyed nest. Funny even.

**Week Two | Date: 08/14/1958**

****

So apparently, he’s started using a wrench now that lets him teleport immediately back to spawn. Well, fuck. Guess that plan’s not going to work as well anymore. On the upside at least it’s harder to initially deploy buildings with that thing for him. On the downside, now it’s even harder to predict what gear he’s carrying when you see him since he keeps going back to spawn and changing things up.

He’s been messing around with the wrangler a lot too lately. Fucking around annoying our snipers. I mean once again at least it doesn’t help BLU that much with objective capture but it’s still, well…annoying. Sure you could ignore him but you also just kind of get the urge to smack him down with a newspaper anyway. Note to self: have a discussion with the soldiers in particular to stop falling for Blue Engineer B’s obvious taunt bait. Just wrap it in patriotic fluff maybe and they’ll listen.

**Week Three | Date: 08/19/1958**

Alright. I’ve never seen that jackass practice blast jumping on the field before…and I break into the BLU team’s base a _lot_ . I mean Blue Engineer B, of course. When the hell would he get the time to learn? He’s never even _been_ a combat engineer before – and yet there the bastard goes flying all the way from the BLU side of the tracks to the tops of the window slats right above our RED entrance gates.

And being able to carry the sentry gun with him was one thing – it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that part of the rescue ranger out – but to be able to redeploy a sentry on those chancy wooden frames in that quick of a time before anyone could notice? Oh no, that kind of skill isn’t something learned overnight, or gained from shooting practice around some ranch in the middle of nowhere alone. No, only someone more seasoned could have done all that. But the papers on his background don’t match up with that…why?

That sentry spot was as bullshit as it looked too; I sure as hell couldn’t get up there. The angles from the windows themselves just didn’t let me, and while he had a teleporter exit up on one of the other slats too, it wasn’t active. Guess he was keeping it up there to refill the sentry when he needed to using his teleporter wrench. Real asshole move. The spot covered both of RED’s exit gates too from above which isn’t easy to shoot at…incredible asshole move. It was Blue Engineer C who had the active teleporter from spawn though, so I fucked around messing with his to try and help split the BLU team’s attentions. It was a bitch to deal and required a lot more coordination than normal.

I really got to figure out this guy’s deal.

* * *

**Engineer Background Research Notes: Clifford Sackett**

Did some background research on the man a little further; he couldn’t have gained any combat experience directly from the War. The date it formally ended was September 2 of 1945 after all – Mr. Sackett would have still only been 17. Still too young to get drafted, at least going by the Selective Training and Service Act. He would have turned 18 on the 8th though…so he avoided it by only a scratch. Seems he’s always had a streak of luck. For some reason, it’s always the bastards that do.

Early schooling records show he did take advantage of the Engineering, Science, and Management War Training (ESMWT)* program in the United States, though. Starting from back in 1942, still in high school…he would have been 15. Which on its own isn’t that odd; he did show good aptitudes for the sciences in those early school records, and he wasn’t the only high schooler to enroll. Most of those kids who did were looking to accelerate their entry into engineering and science jobs too, after all…thing is, Clifford Sackett is listed as having been enrolled in these programs across four different universities, each in completely different cities. None of it fraudulent, either; everything on record, all eyewitnesses I could find showed he did in fact legitimately attend all these classes. There’s even photographic proof.

That’s just not possible, though, not without some kind of teleportation tech. So I did some background research on his family and you know what? It all started to make sense. His mother not only was a previous employee at the BLU company; no, she had unique access to teleportation equipment and research too. She just might be the ticket to understanding everything here - I’m going to do more research on her background. Already found some interesting stuff from the BLU archives.

* * *

Listed Name: DeLouise Sackett | Builders League United Term of Employment: 1920 - 1937

So it's four in the morning, had a long day working with the scouts on awareness training with some maps. Regardless, I still managed to find a lot out over the past couple of days. Ms. Sackett was hired back in 1920 at the age of 18…pretty young. She was recognized and snapped up early for her work in developing electronic computers and communication systems. The technology race between BLU and RED was starting to swing into full gear so they were sniffing around looking for pretty much anyone with talent on both sides of the company war. She’s got more embeddings in the BLU company than most though; found traces and records to the “Phoenix Project” – you know the one. The project rumored to be the birth of the respawn system as we know it. That’s a really goddamn big deal. That would have given her a certain level of importance, and all the surviving paper records I’ve found so far reflect that.

The dad though, not so much. From the looks of it he was just another combat mercenary, but from the lack of notes I found referencing him he couldn’t have been someone under direct contract with BLU. The Global Radio Network (GRN) and Yard Lane Waterworks (YLW) were still collaborating with both companies, so he was possibly contracted with one of those instead. Either way, I found records for a leave on Ms. Sackett’s part in 1926 to get married even though all records after were still under her maiden name. She was still working with the BLU company when she took maternity leave for the birth of her son too…and continued working at the company even after.

That means Clifford would have spent some fairly early formative years all the way out here in the Badlands. How the hell she raised a kid in this dirt hole is beyond me. No offense to the fine locals that still live around these parts but they’re all dumb as rocks. And the fighting too, I guess, but I don’t think I could stand a conversation longer than a few sentences with some of the farmers still hanging around out here. Not sure how much our Cliff would have remembered, though, considering both the divorce and sudden career shift she took over to working at Telemax was in 1937; he would have been only ten. She moved all the way back to Texas and took her son with her.

Still, that does put him and his family in direct contact with a lot of mercenaries. I even managed to find out that one of her contemporaries still working at the BLU company actually did keep in touch with the woman long term. Her name is Norma Burwick, a former combat engineer – she currently works in The Well’s prototype research facility complex. This is thankfully one of the more open to access facilities. You see combat engineers from all over come out there to test devices and give feedback on developing projects, which was the perfect disguise cover to get access to her. I managed to take a video recording of the talk I was able to have too, which I’m adding to the files here alongside a written transcript.

* * *

Norma: HA! Let me tell you, Well’s changed a lot since my days on the field. Used to be nothin’ but rocks and dirt for miles. ‘Course that was before they started connecting everythin’ by rails.

Valentin: [ joking ] You describin’ Well, or Dustbowl?

Norma: Lord, Dustbowl’s prolly one of the few outposts that hasn’t changed squat…honestly you had a point there earlier. What with the boom in mercenaries after the war, they needed to put new hires through the gauntlet _somewhere;_ I s’pose Well just proved to be prime ground.

Valentin: Musta been; lotta the spaces in the Well are pretty…big. Like they were built for more folks in the first place. Workshop spaces alone are ‘bout the size for two or three engineers to share, and I’m pretty sure some of the storage hangers used to be lab spaces too.

Norma: Well, back when they stuffed us all in the same building, it was warranted; let me tell you, most of the research non-combat personnel was doin’ used to be in the same buildings the mercs they hired were fightin’ over…which made sense, I guess. Everyone was fightin’ to one up each other in the tech race, and it weren’t just the land out there they cared about no more.

Valentin: So instead of them intel briefcases, it were…?

Norma: Yep; the tech they were all developin’ itself. Hell, sometimes whenever personnel needed to be moved between facilities, they needed us guns at the time to act as bodyguards. Dealin’ with them snipers contracted from YLW gunnin for our escort was a nightmare; although seein’ one or two go down to a civilian’s umbrella _were_ pretty funny, I gotta say.

Valentin: [tries to stifle a chuckle] What’s it with snipers an’ tunnel vision?

Norma: I know, right? Heh…y’know it’s a shame; hired guns and noncombat staff don’t fraternize these days as much as they used to, ever since they split the research facilities off from the bases. Used to be when we’d all be workin’ in the same buildings, everyone was rubbin’ shoulders and whatnot.

Valentin: Sounds like a whole different world when you talk about it. I know two of my friends signed up for non-combat jobs at the company but I haven’t been able to talk to ‘em much since then…y’had any friends that were noncombat back when you was a merc? What was it like?

Norma: Lord…some of my strongest friendships were with non-combat engineers, I think. Outside a few of my old squad mates, I still keep in touch with a few of ‘em too. Old Ernie, DeLouise…honestly weren’t that many of us ladies workin’ round here at the time, but I guess that’s been changin’ too. Heh…DeLouise was so _young_ when she was hired! I used to be so worried for her. Kinda felt like I was becomin’ her second ma the way I fussed over her. Taught her how to shoot a gun n’ scrap, n’ everything…she musta been, what…18 at the time?

Valentin: Hell, that is young! Youngest I’ve seen out here so far is prolly a scout in their twenties.

Norma: Ha! Yeah, I’d believe it. Scouts gotta be spry on their feet; ain’t surprisin’ they tend to get hired younger than the rest of us…nah, DeLouise was just damn good developin’ electronics and computers. Good enough to get noticed an’ picked up at that age. ‘Course, that was before she got a taste of teleportation tech. Ah, can’t blame the kid…it was so rare back then to see it in action outside of Australia…and you know how, uh…secretive with their tech those Australians can be.

Valentin: Not secretive enough, though, I guess. Lotta them research corporations that take contracts with the government been doin’ research in teleportation themselves lately, yeah? Hell, Black Mesa’s right next door to us practically. Kinda uptight bastards they hire over there though.

Norma: Oh man, you’re tellin’ me. You’d have to pay me a _lot_ to be tempted to take a job over there. ‘Sides, they got em all livin’ underground in them weird compounds which ain’t that odd on its own but like…they never leave. They got all their food and amenities, and recreation I warrant, but still. They just…hardly ever leave. I don’t trust like that; a gal needs some sun and company that ain’t her own coworkers, ya’ feel? ‘Sides, I heard other things about ‘em…

Valentin: Other things…?

Norma: I prolly shouldn’t be talkin’ bout this, but…as a warnin’ if you ever take a job at another contractor…Black Mesa has a bit of an under the water reputation for stealin’ information on research an’ passin’ it off as their own work. So just keep that in mind, alright, kid?

Valentin: I’d beat their ass.

Norma: Ha! I like your attitude; that’s exactly what an ol’ friend of mine said when her work got the same treatment by the bastards.

Valentin: Oh hell, that sounds like a story an’ a half.

Norma: Heh…now that I REALLY can’t talk about. Let’s just say some mercs from TFI got hired out here to rough some fellas up and I may have been one of ‘em. That’s another thing, kid; make some connections ‘round here. They’ll come in handy, trust me.

Valentin: ‘Course, ma’am!

* * *

Notes: Okay, so the “friend” of hers that got their research stolen had to have been DeLouise. She let the gender slip and nobody else fits the timeframe, motive, and connections here really. Her other employment records after leaving Telemax in 1941 show research for the American government during the war effort and subsequent hiring to Aperture Science Innovators in 1945 after – and from what I know, Black Mesa and Aperture have a habit of dog fighting over the same contracts. Everything just lines up…not particularly relevant to my original line of research with her son Clifford, but hell, could be useful down the line, all things considered.

Still, that any experience with how mercs over in the Badlands fight could have been passed down to Mr. Sackett through all this is more than likely given everything I managed to dig up. Honestly wouldn’t be surprised if there were other mercs she kept in touch with from those times outside of Norma; that’s a lot of connections either way that could be utilized for under the records mercenary work if Clifford really wanted. The question from everything I’ve seen of the guy isn’t so much a question of “how” anymore…but really _when,_ I think. Here’s the timeline I’ve managed to piece together on Clifford Sackett:

> \- **1945 – 1948:** Mr. Sackett was fully officially enrolled in university. Most of his degrees were completed during this time; given the extreme coursework load shown in his records, the concept that he had on the ground combat practice during this time period is slim.
> 
> \- **1948 – 1953:** At age 21, Mr. Sackett takes on a job working as a rough neck in the oil industry; he is still, however, enrolled in university part time to finish earning his last few degrees. Another high workload period of time for the man, so chances for gaining on the ground combat experience seems slim.
> 
> \- **1953 – 1958:** His work in oil becomes a full time job. If I had to make an educated guess as to when he’d even have the time to put any of his training into practice, it would be during these five years. Most records of outside contracts and consultation work during this period are noncombatant in nature, though. Even the consultation work listed for the company his mother works at (Aperture Science Innovators) was relating to various panel designs for utilization within the testing facilities. Everything is verified and checks out, but these could still have possibly been well crafted fronts for other more mercenary contracts.

The fact that it’s already proven the family is capable of being in multiple places at once using teleportation technology of their own should also be taken into account too; just because it’s on the record that Clifford Sackett or his mother was in one place, that doesn’t necessarily discount the idea that either could have also been simultaneously in another…I think I have a hunch where Cliff’s bastard streak comes from, either way. Something tells me the apple didn’t fall that far from the tree.

Additional Note: Talk to one of the RED Engineers tomorrow about installing some moving targets to the training range, all we have right now are the ones that pop up and down.

* * *

* * *

Spy paused there, chewing his bottom lip thoughtfully. Well…that was certainly a lot to take in from Valentin on his own. He couldn’t help but snort finally, however; it was that _name_ . Cliff…Clifford Sackett. The name “Clifford” felt oddly too… _nice_ for a man like that.

After the point he left off, the notes went back to battlefield observations and strategies, but that was still more background information on his blue engineer than Spy was expecting. Although, if he had been Valentin, he would have pressed more interest into the man’s father. _I mean really; that’s an entire parent unaccounted for._

That was Valentin though for you, from everything Spy had heard about the man. Once he had an answer good enough for his initial question, he didn’t go bothering too much bogging himself down with every single string and loose end. Still, though…

Spy rifled quickly through the names of spies and outposts, looking for anyone he’d recognize who would have pushed the question further themselves. It was interesting now that he thought about it…he had wondered before what would possess a Spy to stick around The Well for any length of time more than he had to. Funny that the initial spark for teaching may have come from an enemy he so clearly detested.

Ah; Spy managed to pull up the folders from Jourdain and Jules separately. Both prime candidates for spies who would have dug deeper into what Valentin provided. Jules was earlier in the timeline, it appeared…Spy would start with his first. Quickly, he opened Jules files, only to let out a low whistle.

Well then…just as he had hoped.

* * *

* * *

**Jules | Outpost: Granary | Circuit: Area Control and Capture | Date: X/X/X**

[…] Every spy so far has gone through the same pattern; the new engineer on the blue arrives. In the afternoon following the day’s skirmishes, he presumably drives to an offsite facility for the BLU company near whichever outpost he is stationed and does not return until late into the night. On weekends, he is liable to spend entire days offsite. And despite how much harder than usual it is to break into his workshop at each outpost due to the heightened security he adds, no spy has yet discovered any blueprints or projects that are particularly damning once they made it in. Whatever he’s working on, it moves from facility to facility; he doesn’t house anything within the bases he’s stationed at.

Every time a spy tries to tail his vehicle too, they somehow manage to lose sight of it at a certain point on the road; even when it should be impossible. Tracking devices left on the vehicle also stop communicating after a certain point and become dysfunctional. He’s an engineer; it’s not that out of the question that he modified it somehow. Either way, most spies seem to be simply _assuming_ he is working at whichever BLU facility is closest nearby, and why shouldn’t they? Why else would he only be moved to outposts where they are in fact nearby? That is the issue in making large assumptions – you stop asking questions. We know the family has a background in teleportation research. There’s no reason he has to be working at the facility closest by at all. He could be at multiple if he wanted.

It’s time to try a more direct approach, I think. There’s been a lot of digging into the man and his family’s background, but nobody has tried to blackmail him to his face yet. Well, let’s change that.

Two main ways of going about that, given everything that’s been gathered so far. Either poke harder at the mother’s background, or at the man’s personal life himself. What most surprises me, though, is that nobody has looked too hard into the background of the man’s father yet. Maybe some of you got bored with the idea of just some grunt who worked for the GRN company. Hell, it’d probably be harder to find any information on him from that company since it’s under management of the Hales and not the Mann brothers directly. And those guys don’t have employee records that far back on account of a fire that happened in administration back in ’38. Don’t get fooled by mundanity, though.

The name used for the father on the marriage, divorce, and birth records is a fake. Probably all the past spies just assumed it was because he was a mercenary; mercenaries back then especially were fond of working under multiple fake names. I have experience with forgery and replacement of names on documents though; we got up to a lot of horseshit in the twenties. The father’s name on all records relating to the Sacketts was changed after the fact – and not by any amateur either. The workmanship is impressive and impeccable. If I didn’t have background in this area myself, I don’t think even I would have noticed. It goes further than that though.

Even when working under pseudonyms, these forged identities still tend to be matched in most memories to _someone._ And yet from everything I gathered while looking into the matter myself, nobody recognizes the pseudonym used for the man who is supposedly Mr. Sackett’s father. Not by anyone at the GRN company, and certainly not over at BLU. Sure, some contemporaries pretended, or maybe even thought the vague recollections they had of a soldier under this name were accurate. However, nobody has personal anecdotes. Nobody can say which team he worked with, or if he worked with a team at all; nobody remembers any of his _other_ pseudonyms or working with such a man personally themselves. You’d think a marriage between two employees contracted by different companies would be more memorable at the very least. It’s as if the man was a ghost; even people who worked with spies would remember more to their working pseudonyms.

Something stinks. Either the man’s father has friends in high places at the BLU company or was a spy himself – or perhaps, rather, it’s the mother that had friends in those places willing to give cover for her. Though for what reason, I’m unsure I can guess at this stage. If they’re trying to hide it that badly, though, there’s a reason for it, and I’m more than willing to take advantage of it. 

Damn shame I wasn’t closer to any of this myself at the time...I was still under hire by the YLW company. Last time they sent out mercs that weren’t snipers for contracts out here was way back before even when those old coots were active. And thankfully I didn’t have to get involved at the time either…four teams dogfighting it out in the same area? Absolute chaos. Ah, that’s got me thinking back…I’ll stop here before I get too off topic. I’ll keep this file updating.

* * *

The thoroughness of this father’s erasure is pretty impressive. I tried to see if any original records were available from the church in Texas where the ceremony supposedly took place. Notaries, you see, must keep journals with the names and ids used every time a document is notarized…the pastor at this church apparently kept records in a similar fashion. It is interesting, then, that this journal was “conveniently” lost in a fire – and the pastor himself is a no go, given that he passed away from cancer a while ago as well. That may be the one detail that wasn’t intentionally by design, given that he passed while Ms. Sackett was still married. I’ve tried other avenues of paper record trails, but each one runs cold…and nobody who was on staff at either BLU or GRN at the time has been of much use. At this point the only option left is to go straight for the one group of people they can’t just erase. There are still other Sacketts; other Sacketts that would have been present at the wedding and would be able to put names to faces.

DeLouise Sackett has a sister named Marnie who runs a mechanic operation near the gulf coast where she designs and maintains seaplanes. The brother Arlo meanwhile still runs the old farming property of the Sacketts to this present day. And then of course there’s DeLouise’s cousin, the second in command at her current place of employ at Aperture Science; a Ms. Caroline. Caroline is unmarried herself, but both Arlo and Marnie also have children who are grown up now, the engineer’s cousins – a daughter and a son on Marnie’s side, and two sons and two daughters on Arlo’s. With enough time and acclimation I think I can figure out a way to slowly gain the trust of any of them. It’s just a question of time constraints and access. I was hired to work here in Granary after all, and all these people are either in Texas or Ohio. I can’t exactly go back and forth from New Mexico constantly, now can I?

I could probably work something out with Regine though; she’s always interested in intel when it comes to engineering research across company lines. Considering how slippery this fish has proven to be I think she’d definitely recognize the value too, and we’ve had good working relations in the past. I’ll update.

* * *

Calling off the plan. This seems abrupt, I know, but it’s what has to be done. I discussed everything with Regine yesterday…and she clearly advised me against digging where I was suggesting. She referred to the matters I was looking into as “Roger’s business.” Yeah. No _Roger_ other than Regine’s counterpart at the BLU’s spy establishment. That’s more than I need to hear to back off; it’s not worth it for a man who’s a passing annoyance to me personally more than anything. Getting involved in “business” with Roger is just too much unnecessary stirring of the pot.

Roger, as far as I’m aware, has always had a long history at BLU; her work name pops up as far back as the prohibition days, running BLU’s many underground contraband rackets at the time. Like I said…we got up to a lot of horseshit in the twenties. Although there’s no saying how personable she would have been with Ms. Sackett during her time with the company specifically. It’s clear now though that the coverup had to have been engineered specifically by Roger herself. Most likely a deal was cut between either her and Ms. Sackett, or the father himself. I would say from the way Regine characterized things in her conversation with me, though…it’s most likely with Ms. Sackett. Given that it’s Regine, I have confidence in her assessments.

And I think I know what was bartered too. I’d always wondered who designed the teleportation technology that allowed each establishments’ doors to be opened at every damn outpost. I’ve never seen teleportation technology quite like it anywhere else. It’s possibly the only explanation here that makes sense. And if its technology developed from the Sacketts, well…guess who else could be using it. Nah, knowing that engineer, he’s definitely using it. It’s just a question of where, and how he activates it.

* * *

* * *

Spy paused there at Regine’s name mutely, mulling over everything he had read just now carefully…Regine. As far as he knew, the relationship between her and Roger was…cordial. As long as they both kept out of each other’s affairs, neither really had a problem with the other. So what Jules had written, well…it made sense. And unlike Jules or the others, he was close enough with Regine to know something else that was important; how she had gained the technology necessary to have those doors open at various outposts as well. It had been exchanged…and Roger’s side of the trade was the name of the engineer and their promised cooperation.

Regine _knew_. Regine not only _knew,_ she had worked with the damn man’s _mother,_ even if only temporarily. His brows creased as he rubbed his forehead, frowning…doubtless she was more than well aware of his engineer’s relation to that woman as well.

He grimaced, remembering the death cams at that; doubtless she had seen those too; that was what her advice as he left must have been about after all. So that he’d know people would _doubtless_ be tittering over them. She hadn’t mentioned any of _this,_ however…perhaps she didn’t feel she needed to. He sighed quietly. She probably thought if she put the ideas in his head regarding any of these mysteries, he’d only end up digging where he wasn’t wanted deeper himself. And well…she’d be right. As usual.

Spy couldn’t help but sigh a second time…damn.

Damn it all.

…Alright. So the question of the father was a no go for the other spies, clearly. Perhaps after completing the espionage work requested of him in the coming week, though…he might be able to talk to Regine. Regarding this…business. Right. It was decided. He absolutely would.

And still, it wasn’t as if the dealings with the work at the facilities was off limits as well now, was it? At least _one_ of the other spies must have dug further into that. Spy had already flipped through the rest of Jules, and while enlightening, he hadn’t gotten far on the question of any of that secret work himself. Even _with_ the breakthrough on the nature of the teleportation technology. Mostly a lot of complaining about scouts later in the documents which was…fair.

Spy grimaced, remembering how his own scout had unintentionally opened the grated door that very first day to a surprise sentry himself. Right, now he was just distracting himself. Quickly, Spy opened the file for Jourdain, his next safest bet after Jules, before finding himself grimacing once again. Jourdain…he had almost forgotten Jourdain could get like this when it came to the man’s notes.

* * *

* * *

**Jourdain | Outpost: Steel | Circuit: Area Attack and Defend | Date: X/X/X**

[…] It’s interesting, really; while the BLU team has made many attempts in the past to forgo capturing all the points in alphabetical order to go straight for E, it’s never been pushed quite as often as it has been as of late. Distraction ploy or no, it’s still enough to force one or two members of our team away…the new engineer’s influence has been a strong one, to be sure.

One can not help but wonder, then, what makes him behave in the way that he does. He’s unusually stubborn; abnormally so. In some respects he doesn’t even seem to see his work on the battlefields here as truly…real. Every outpost is simply one big puzzle to him that must be unraveled and solved. Perhaps not even a puzzle; it’s simply all one big game, with no real consequences, not _really_. And, in some ways, perhaps that’s true. It’s not as if he will ever die permanently himself, not with respawn, after all.

No matter how many times he horribly dies from some spur of the moment decision, he keeps coming brightly back. None of the deaths he is responsible for are permanent, and none of the trouble he gets into with his own team is permanent either…just a simple transfer away from being left behind and forgotten. How does he function, I wonder, outside of the boundaries of this game of his? How does he act when his actions have consequences…permanent ones that he can’t simply run away from? Does he hesitate? Does the thought that he could honestly die for good ever make him pause?

What are the limits, truly, to what he can run away from? How monumentally, how greatly, would he have to disrupt his own employers’ tightly oiled machine to be unable to run anymore and simply be caught? Unless even that’s a game to him, too…perhaps he truly has the overconfidence that he believes that even to those extremes he can never, truly, ever be caught. Perhaps -

* * *

* * *

Spy closed Jourdain’s file with a huff; so many uses of the words ‘perhaps’, so many ‘possiblys’ and conjectures…he had no time for conjectures. He needed something solid, something concrete. He flipped irritably through file names before he stopped at Leonel. Leonel was stationed at Sawmill, the outpost the blue engineer…Cliff…had been stationed at not long after Jules in Granary.

Perhaps he had taken some initiative to look more into the work at the facilities after reading what Jules had to say. Only one way to find out…

* * *

* * *

**Leonel | Outpost: Sawmill | Circuit: Intelligence Defense | Date: X/X/X**

[…] I don’t think anyone’s mentioned how weird this fucker is. I go into the rocky caverns for a quick smoke because its pouring buckets as usual out there and I see this guy leaning against a wall smokin’ a quick one himself. Doesn’t even try to shoot me; just takes a drag and asks if we can call a short truce before we get back to trying to kill each other again. Said he wanted to finish his cig and he’d rather not ruin this moment he’s got goin’ on for himself…frankly I was getting twitchy without a smoke myself, so I decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth and agreed. Just kept our eyes on each other like two hawks the whole time. Wouldn’t think much of it if he didn’t keep trying to stoke up a conversation.

Well. Less a conversation and more like multiple attempts to get me to duel him at rock paper scissors. Like I said. Absolutely batty. Kept trying to convince me by saying whoever won would get first shot on the other…I told him I’d shoot first anyway so don’t bother. Kept on going back and forth from there before we started slingin’ insults. Then one thing led to another and we ended up fist fighting in the lake, my entire pack of cigs in my pocket got waterlogged and ruined and long story short we played three rounds of rock paper scissors cussin’ each other out under the docks, water from the lake still up past our hips, I’m pissed he’s pissed I gave him a black eye and I think I lost a tooth. It was supposed to be a best out of three but then our scouts spotted us and next thing you know the lake became a mercenary moshpit as every jackass, their dog and the village idiot started scrapping in the water with us. Lost track of the bastard during all of that.

Anyway, next time we ran into each other for a smoke in the same location he asked me if I wanted to go for a round of rock paper scissors again and I nearly socked his head clean off and we ended up scrapping in the mud. Now we just end up throwing hands every time we run into each other back there. I mean we finish our cigs first, we’re not uncivilized savages out here; it’s the only damn place with any dryness that isn’t near a damn buzzsaw, after all. But we still try to beat the shit out of each other with our bare hands after some kicking and swearing. I mean it’s alright sometimes I take him off guard by bringing my knife out in the middle of things because I’ll be fucked if I let that that fat bald jackass think I have any fake sense of ‘honor’ but you know what he pulls that big heavy wrench on me too half the time so I guess we’re both split even there.

So yeah, that’s how my first week’s been going. Outside of that I got this neat idea involving some cardboard box I found to –

* * *

* * *

Spy flipped the pages with a low grunt of frustration. Under normal circumstances he would have found entertainment in these notes alone from Leonel, but he had a _goal_ in mind, damn it. Come on, Leonel, come on…

* * *

* * *

**Leonel | Outpost: Sawmill | Circuit: Intelligence Defense | Date: X/X/X**

[…] So I figured, if everyone trying to tail his truck when he drives off keeps losing sight of it, why not just sit in the truck itself? Though not right next to him, obviously. So anyway I tried sitting in the cargo bed of his vehicle with the cloak and dagger and managed to not get caught before he starts driving.

And halfway through the truck just uh. Disappeared.

One minute I was sitting in a cargo bed, the next minute I was on my ass in the fucking dirt. Had to walk all the way back to the outpost. Would not recommend trying that plan in the future, but at least I know for sure now that it’s definitely something teleportation related.

* * *

* * *

At these notes Spy stopped and hummed softly with heightened interest…so. That would explain why none of the other spies had fully been able to tail the man, even after the truck itself had apparently “disappeared.” So…he wasn’t just driving off to areas where he could activate his teleportation equipment secretly without being discovered. No, he had the tech embedded somehow into the vehicle itself. Now that was incredibly tricky; Spy had never even _heard_ of anything similar in the past before.

He wondered to himself who could have possibly had better luck uncovering more details. While as he read further, Leonel had managed to check every BLU facility he was aware of in the area, none of them gave him any clues as to which their engineer had been working at specifically…and on what. Spy couldn’t help but be intensely curious. He wanted to know more, about everything.

He knew Mossrock was a more recent outpost, at least…there couldn’t be THAT many facilities in the area nearby. Maybe Lyam had managed to dig up something useful. Quickly, Spy pulled out Lyam’s file.

* * *

* * *

**Lyam | Outpost: Mossrock | Circuit: Area Attack and Defend | Date: X/X/X**

I didn’t choose to be stationed here; I definitely would have refused if I’d have known. Not that I mind the scenery, or even the company…however, there’s one glaring issue with Mossrock that I have.

My damnable allergies. The sneezing, the watery runny eyes…every second out there is excruciating. I try to avoid it all the best as I can by wearing a more fully covering mask over my mouth and nose, and wearing goggles, but sometimes even that’s not enough.

You have no idea how damnably difficult it is to stay stealthy while holding back the sneeze that will kill you if heard…just awful. And, of course, I’m the one that has to deal with this idiot engineer building on top of the roof of the bridge that overhangs Point A.

Half the time his teleporter isn’t even active because of that wrench of his, the jackass, so I can’t get up there with him and have to resort to just taking potshots from below. Or sapping his dispenser, which he still leaves down in one of the lower areas for the rest of his team. He’ll come down running for that which gives me full freedom to shoot his sentry down from where I can see it.

…But then these damnable allergies. Get. In. My. _Way_. Half the time I get caught trying to deal with him it’s because I finally couldn’t hold back one single damned sneeze. Maybe I should finally cut my losses and talk to my team’s medic regarding these issues I’ve been having on the field…I don’t trust him, however…which is consequently why I’ve been avoiding him like the plague. Trust me when I say you’d know why if you met him. It’s hard to put down into words, but trust me. You’d know.

* * *

**Notes Log Date: X/X/X**

I got some medication finally; would prefer not to discuss the details. Anyhow, I think by this point anyone in on the discussion would agree with the fact that maybe the blue engineer getting himself stationed at outposts with facilities nearby is, in its own way, a bit of a red herring.

I do think he still works at one of the locations nearby - but I don’t think every time he leaves to do his off-base work that he is necessarily always going to those specific ones. The reason I’m so sure he is at least working at those closer by PART of the time is that I managed to discover one of the BLU’s underground facilities a few miles from Mossrock, and placed camera bugs in the parking areas of their front operation on surface ground. The truck shows up three to four days a week…but the other days? No show, even when I’ve logged down that he’s left his base for sure.

Given how untrackable the vehicle itself is, he could honestly be going anywhere. If it really is teleportation technology, it’s nothing I’ve personally seen in development at RED’s research centers that I’ve had access to, let alone BLU’s. And I actually make an effort to talk to engineers specifically because of cases like this one. It’s definitely something highly experimental, especially for teleportation on that scale. Possibly dangerous too…I wonder if I can possibly steal it?

* * *

**Notes Log Date: X/X/X**

Have a plan worked out, managed to get the scout on my team to cooperate with me for this one; we’ll see how everything goes. It’s a little bit crazy but…sometimes you just got to try something out there.

I talked to the engineer on my team as well; I think he’s even more interested in the prospect of the technology being utilized than I am, even if I didn’t entirely give him all the details quite yet. Unsurprised though. I’ll see what I can bring back to him for analysis.

* * *

**Notes Log Date: X/X/X | Mic transcripts between Lyam and the Red Engineer at Mossrock**

Lyam: Everything’s in motion; scout managed to taunt the blue scout into an after-work hours road race…using stolen vehicles from each teams’ respective engineer. The bait’s been eaten up. Let’s see if the idiot can actually manage to swipe your counterparts’ keys, though.

Red Engineer: That’s good to hear…you double checked the scanning gear I made for you?

Lyam: It’s all in order; I’ll call you again once we’re both on the road.

* * *

Red Scout: WE’RE CATCHIN’ UP TO HIM! WE’RE CATCHIN’ UP TO HIM!

Red Engineer: The bullshit I did to that engine, you better be!

Lyam: Get it closer! Get it close AND I CAN –

**[Crashing noises take over the communication lines]**

Red Engineer: What’s goin’ on over there?!

Red Scout: NOTHIN’ I JUST BUMPED OUR SIDES TOGETHER, SPY’S JUMPED OVER AN’ -

Lyam: HH – ALRIGHT. BLUE SCOUT’S KNOCKED OUT. I’M AT THE DRIVERS WHEEL, ENGINEER ARE YOU SEEING THE CONTROLS IN FRONT OF ME FROM MY CAMERA?

Engineer: Y – yeah, I can! But I don’t think those are the controls you’re looking for! Check the dashboard for any secret panels, and the dials for any secret – THERE – FLIP THAT SWITCH TO THE –

Lyam: On it! I’ve – Set out the scanning device too next to me, you should be receiving data soon and – oh my. Engineer, you are seeing this, right?

Red Engineer: Goddamn. All it takes is one switch and the entire dashboard looks chock full’a instruments for an aircraft cockpit ‘stead of a fuckin’ truck. What kinda damn computers did he install in his –

Lyam: What can you tell me about how they function?! How can I use them?

Red Engineer: Get the camera closer to the instruments – yeah, I – yeah, like that! I…hm. Maybe the comparison to an aircraft cockpit is more on the nose than I thought. You know how aircraft all have instruments to track air pressure differences to determine speed, altitude, navigation and whatnot? Take that same idea and apply it to all the conditions required for teleportation. Each indicator here is for a different condition necessary for…well, you get me, I won’t get too in depth here.

Lyam: I’ve taken photos of all of them. We’re on our way back to the RED base; hopefully you’ll be able to see everything soon in person.

Red Engineer: Good, good – I’m not too familiar with cockpit instruments in aircraft myself but we gotta compare between the two to see if the similarities I can notice right off the bat are intentional…

Lyam: Do you think you can figure out how to navigate this setup?

Red Engineer: Not right off the bat like this, no – oh good, I’m starting to get data feedback from the device…

Lyam: Anything you can share just yet?

Red Engineer: Most teleportation takes place between two set locations or with at least one set location as an exit point for a reason; teleportation otherwise can be incredibly volatile. I was curious as to exactly how experimental the teleportation tech in that thing is, so what I mainly am looking for here is if there are any “anchor” locations of the kind I’m discussin’ that are traceable. Won’t have any names or anythin’, mind, but coordinates is a whole ‘nother matter…

Lyam: I’d take coordinates just fine; don’t worry about that.

Red Engineer: Mind, if I can’t trace any “anchor” points then that’s a whole other can of business…

Red Scout: Hey, uh, guys? Fellas? Not to interrupt, but, Spy, that truck you’re in is uh, starting to glow up…

Lyam: What? Wh – oh goddamnit, _of course_ the man must have some kind of secondary remote recall option on his person, _god damnit_ I should have arranged some kind of distraction to keep him from noticing longer –

Red Engineer: Worry about the ‘coulda, woulda, and shoulda’ later, Spy, jump the hell outta there!

Lyam: I’m going, I’m putting the brakes on, I’m going, I’m –

**[END TRANSMISSION]**

* * *

**Notes Log Date: X/X/X**

Wasn’t able to exit the truck in time; ended up getting teleported back with it. Thankfully I was able to use the blue scout still tied up next to me to get myself out of the enemy base just fine. I wonder how much control he has over how much, or who gets transported in the truck with him. Either way, we still managed to scrape some tracking data, even if the process itself was interrupted before it could be completed. Looks like it was trying to track multiple threads at once.

* * *

* * *

Spy could feel himself pausing as he got to the end of Lyam’s attempted…heist. He examined the charts the man had gone to such lengths to acquire, cut short though the data feed clearly had been. The way everything was displayed, with tracking lines following multiple different avenues and paths, either the truck had multiple concrete “anchor” points outside of the normal set of one or two or…there weren’t any “anchor” points at all.

That was a very definite possibility. He flipped through the pages in interest, turning now to the red engineer in Mossrock’s analysis of the control schemes the truck had within. By the looks of things, he had managed to hash out and hazard quite a few of the controls, although not everything…Spy needed to study this thoroughly. It could prove to be incredibly useful given any number of plans he could pull off with such information now.

It didn’t give him the keys to entirely understanding how to get the technology to function, but still…it was certainly more to go off of than he ever had a chance of hoping to dig up just on his own. Spy sighed as he looked over the folders he still had yet to go through…barely a dent, and the hour was only getting later. There were a few other spies he was still keen on reading from; Hadrien had dealt with the man in Upward, for one, and Upward had left some…interesting paper trails, to say the least, in the past.

And he had only managed to watch _one_ of the video recordings present in the files as well – there were so many more that he was desperately interested in. One was of course also present in Hadrien’s. Right.

He knew who he’d be looking into next.

Right now, though, he had to retire to sleep. He had a teleporter exit in his own base to find, and preparations for a stakeout on his usual fighting grounds ahead to plan.

Spy had a long week ahead of him, that was for certain. Carefully, he began to put the files strewn all about away. He would worry about the blue engineer later; after all, he had a whole week to figure out how to break into the man’s workshop, at the very least.

 _Clifford’s_ workshop.

That name…Spy snorted. He would have never guessed it at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took a while; I hope you all enjoyed it! I should mention that the sentry spot featured in my fic from the Well is in fact a real sentry spot. [I actually got the idea to include it from this video specifically!](https://youtu.be/LOkl8qjvKx0?t=1476) linked at the time mark. The full name for the GRN company that I used comes from the [team fortress 2 classic mod](https://tf2classic.com/) but I came up with my version of YLW's name instead of using theirs as well. I wanted the GRN and YLW companies to both feel like they have distinct industries like RED and BLU do; Yard Logistics Workers didn't do that for me so instead I went with Yard Line Waterworks. So hydraulics, water power, that sort of thing. It's the team color used for the snipers in TFC's old escort game mode as well so of course I'm going to make a piss joke. What do I look like, someone incapable of not stooping that low? If you're wondering how I decided on Clifford Sackett's name, I based it on the same naming convention as Dell Conaghers. The last name "Conagher" was taken from a Louis L'Amour novel, so I pulled a last name from the same author's books as well. And because "Dell" is a name based on a small valley or glen, I went with a similar landform based name - Cliff...or Clifford in full! Clifford is such a friendly uncle sounding name too...I thought it was a fun choice. I hope someone noticed that I referenced Marnie's workshop in her photograph from Fio's workshop in Porco Rosso. I referenced another ghibli movie for one of my other photograph illustrations as well - the mother's potions table from Kiki's Delivery Service for Arlo's spot! Better stop now before I keep rambling. I will say figuring out working timelines and comparing everything was definitely a process. Glad to have this chapter finally out though!


	17. Chapter 17

Engineer paused as he wiped his face off with a towel, taking a step back from his handiwork. He gave a low grunt of approval as he looked over his progress; Scout’s motorbike was really starting to come together, ever since he’d begun spending more time on it yesterday. He might as well be working on it, given all his newfound free time recently…not like he had to prepare for a long away trip like everyone else on his team. He shook the bitter thought out of his head with some frustration at that. He repeated the words to himself once again – this wasn’t a setback; this was an opportunity. Of course he still had to attend to his research duties, but he wasn’t just going to sit around bored whenever he was done dealing with that – oh no, not him. He had _plans._

Lord knows, he’d been waiting for an opportunity just like this to take advantage of that teleporter he’d hidden inside the RED’s base not too long ago. The REDs were sure to be sent off as well, after all, leaving the base free of all except the odd member administration staff who might check-in during their leave’s duration…there really was no better time.

Still though.

He squinted as he picked up his tools again, leaning in to finish installing a camera device near the handlebars. He had to admit he’d been trying to distract himself, maybe to his own detriment. He furrowed his brow as he examined for any weak points now that the camera was set, to make sure it wouldn’t come loose. It was necessary for a few tests on the vehicle he had planned, after all. He had a lot of tests planned actually…that was the problem. He had only promised the boy one single solitary modification in addition to the expected fixes. He had to confess that instead of following his own rules he’d gotten a little bit carried away instead.

He shook his head ruefully to himself; typical.

Scout had better not get any high expectations in the future based off of this…aw, who was he kidding? Engineer sighed as he patted the leather seat of the thing. The boy was absolutely going to have wild expectations from now on because of this. He had nobody to blame but himself though…he’d deal with it when he’d have to deal with it.

“Hey hardhat!”

Engineer gave a start at the sound of insistent knocking on the surface of his workshop doors.

“Yo buddy, Engie, you asked me to come in to check on my bike today yeah? ‘Cause I’m kinda waitin’ out here an’ –”

“Hold your horses there son, I’m comin,” Engineer replied quickly, in a raised voice back.

He immediately put his gear down on one of the tables before hurrying to the doors, fishing out his keys to unlock them. Scout eagerly poked his head through the minute he got a crack inside.

“Woah, sweet, you even fixed up the paint job!”

It didn’t take long for Scout to race his way over inside, circling his own propped up bike within the workshop in admiration.

“Don’t know how you managed to mess it up the way you did, but just take better care of it in the future,” Engineer shrugged before pausing. “Speaking of which, I s’pose by this point your bike is pretty much finished…”

“Hey, I thought I told you I got into a fight with some guys, took on like a crew of like ten single-handed an’ – oh hey, really?” Scout grinned as his eyes lit up, cutting his own rehash of dubious past events short at that. “Does that mean we can take it out back to the garage?”

“Uh huh,” Engineer replied calmly, still electing not to buy Scout’s official story. “Yeah, we can do that right now actually…just gotta test out some of the new features first to make sure everything’s working as intended, is all.”

“New features…hey that’s a plural! I know how the English language works, aw _hell_ yeah! I knew you’d shove at least _one_ of my suggestions into my sick ride –”

“Your bike still can’t fly or shoot fire, Scout.”

“…Aw.”

“Ha…well don’t frown yet boy,” Engineer laughed as he patted the slightly more put-out Scout on the back. “Ya still haven’t seen what I’ve done with the thing yet, now have ya? Help me move it out front and we’ll both get a first look, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I gotcha bud, but didja at least add the –”

“Still can’t transform into a jet ski, Scout.”

“Damn. Okay but what about–”

Between Scout’s constant stream of suggestions and Engineer’s polite but firm denials, the two of them finally managed to move the motorbike to the parking way just outside their base’s garage doors.

Before Scout could say anything else though, Engineer pulled out a remote control with the bike’s keys attached to it from his pocket, shaking his head and moving his hand away when the younger merc made as if to reach towards it.

“Not just yet, son. Feature testin’ comes first, but I’ll explain each one as we go…might want to stand back a bit for this first one though.”

“Yeah I getya, you don’t have to tell me twice,” Scout nodded eagerly before taking a few steps back.

He watched in curiosity as Engineer went back to the garage to pull out a few shooting targets, setting them up on the pavement at certain distances from where the bike was parked. Carefully then he walked back towards the Scout, motioning him over now to look towards the remote.

“Now this first one here is quite simple you see; I installed a deployable mini sentry in the back.” At those words, Engineer pressed the first button.

Right on cue, the mini popped out of the back on command, shooting down all of the target cutouts with relative ease. The engineer pressed the same button again and grinned as the mini collapsed back down to safety, quite pleased.

“Well that seems to be working alright; mind you, you’ll have to replace the bullets every so often, but that shouldn’t be hard to show you the ropes on later.”

“Heeey, pretty cool! Ain’t no jetpack or nothin’ but a close second in my book!”

“We’ll test it from the controls on the bike itself before moving on to the second modification.”

“Second modifi – hey, wait!”

Scout jogged after the Engineer as he walked back towards the bike itself, fiddling with one of the dials on the handlebars. The mini sentry popped out once again with a triumphant beep, shooting its targets down eagerly a second time.

“Well, looks like it’s working from here too,” Engineer grinned, before deactivating the sentry with another button click.

He paused, turning to look at Scout again.

“…Thought I told you to keep a bit of distance.”

“You said for the first one! _Technically,_ that was the second one.”

Engineer sighed, shaking his head as he lit a cigarette before checking the bike over for his next planned test. He flipped a switch by the handlebars, as Scout looked over his shoulder in interest.

“Well alright. But I’m _really_ going to want you to stand back for this next one,” Engineer said as he walked back to where he placed the cutout targets, gathering them all back up.

He brought them all back inside the garage as Scout trailed curiously after him.

“…Speaking of, could you run back inside real quick and get our demo down here for me?” Engineer asked as he hefted the targets back into one of their boxes. “Tell him to bring his gear too if you can.”

“Yeah, yeah sure!”

Scout ran off in a jiff as Engie chuckled. He walked over now to one of the shelves in the room, pulling down one of their soldier’s unused rocket launchers. He hefted the weight experimentally before grunting with approval. One last final look over, and he carried it back outside along with some extra ammo.

As he set himself and his gear up a bit further away from the bike, he stood up to give a quick wave to the Demo and Scout as they made their way out. Demo shot a mock half salute back, keeping his relaxed pace as Scout sprinted his way back over.

“What fun are we gettin’ up to out here, lads?” Demo asked cheerily, before raising his eyebrow with a grin as he saw exactly what weapon the Engineer was holding. “…Now wait just a moment, are ye gonna be shooting that thing too now?”

“You guessed it,” Engineer grinned back, pointing his cigarette with one hand towards the Scouts bike before placing it back in his mouth for another drag. “I’d like us to both shoot explosives towards that there bike after the count of three. If you could just stand about a similar distance as me away from the thing, but over there on that side…”

At those words, Scout turned incredulously towards the Engineer, face twisted in horror.

“Wait what?!”

Aye, sounds fair enough,” Demo agreed over Scouts protestations, jogging over to the area Engineer had motioned towards.

“Hey, hey now, what if whatever you’re testin’ doesn’t work and my bike gets trashed? Engie, I do not wanna have to go buy a whole new bike –”

“Relax son, it’s just a bit of explosives. Okay Demo, on the count of three…”

“No wait –”

“One…two…”

“Engie my bike is –”

“THREE!”

Scout shouted to no avail as the two of them shot their weapons, sending projectiles hurtling fast towards the bike…only for them to be zapped out of existence into thin air. What looked like a charge of electrical energy flashed from the bike, taking care of them all with quick work.

Engineer laughed with a triumphant jump, as Scout nearly slid down to the hard pavement in cold relief.

“Well wouldya look at that!” Demo snorted, shaking his head before walking over. “That’s gonna be interestin’ to deal with if it starts spreadin’ around. You plannin’ on makin’ my future jobs harder over there, Engie?”

“Ha! Depends…it’s built in the same way the short circuit is, you know?” Engineer beamed as he set the rocket launcher down, glad to have any excuse to go into more detail on his work. “That feature can only be used so many times before it runs outta well – well you know how I have to use scrap metal to get the thing to work, yeah?”

“Aye sure lad,” Demo replied in amusement, reloading his sticky bomb launcher with a smirk as Engineer kept going.

“Well, that lightning effect you see there is caused by an interaction with the magnetic field this tech creates,” Engie continued to a still entertained Demo.

Scout meanwhile appeared to have finally gotten over his initial terror, and sprinted back over to check on his bike. He shook his head as he gave it a good look over, scrunching his nose.

“Engie, please for the love of god warn me before you shoot anything at my bike again.”

“Yeah sure son, sure – okay now so you see Demo the reason the scrap metal is necessary is because the way the short circuit works in the first place is it _takes_ that metal, turns it into even tinier scraps, and shoots it all out at incomin’ projectiles – the disruption of the magnetic field creates a targeting system!”

“So ye can only store so much o’that metal then, I’m guessing.”

“Correct! Quick on the catch,” Engie laughed. “Especially with a bike of this size – you’d have to carry extra with you in a pack of some sort to replace it I’d say, but there’s no way you’d be able to refill it in the middle of a firefight on the road…I’d wager you get three, maybe four blasts before you’d have to go back to relying on your own dodging like normal but it’s an amazing start – you couldn’t implement this feature with a normal car yet on account of how large the short circuiting field of effect would have to be, but a motorbike is just the right size and…”

“Okay that’s nice and all but please tell me that’s it, right? With the – with the shooting at the bike? We can stop shootin’ at my bike now, right?”

“Aw, I wouldn’t worry too much; I’ve fixed worse outta less after all. Besides, I knew it was gonna work.” Engineer paused at that. “Well…I mostly knew, anyway.”

“WHAT ARE YOU LADIES DOING OUT THERE?”

Before Scout could respond to that one, the Soldier popped his head out of the garage as if to survey the area, before marching briskly towards them outside.

“Just a bit of experimentation is all,” Engineer replied with an easy smile and a shake of his head as Demo laughed. “We’re testing some new modifications to Scout’s bike.”

It seemed as if he had followed out of curiosity after seeing Scout practically drag Demo out of the rec room by the arm.

“Science experiments, and you didn’t invite me?”

…So Medic had followed Soldier the minute he went down to see what was going on too. As did Pyro. And Spy. Actually that was most of the team by now really. Spy for his part had taken it upon himself to bring out enough lawn chairs for everybody, while Pyro was practically skipping around, passing snacks from god knows where as everyone took seats to watch.

“Well I suppose we could see if the field can handle explosives from _more_ than two sources. Soldier, if you can grab your weapon and stand about there – and oh, medic, if you could…”

Scout groaned as he practically sank down into the seat next to Spy, who gave him a bemused pat on the back.

“There there.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

You could tell Scout was trying to hide exactly how worried he was though, forehead creasing as he watched Medic pull out a more heavy-duty crossbow with an evil grin. He barely flinched when Pyro noticed him, nudging a bag of potato chips into the side of his face.

“Yeah yeah, thanks buddy,” he nodded distracted, as Pyro gave him an emphatic thumbs up and a distinct ‘mph’ before sitting down next to him as well.

Pyro tilted their head as they looked curiously between Scout’s anxious fiddling with the bag, and the way the Engineer was waving and animatedly directing everyone about.

“Hurhph…”

“You said it buddy.”

Engineer meanwhile started excitedly gesturing Sniper over too, who shrugged before pulling out his own archery equipment to help.

“Great, great!” the Engineer beamed as he motioned Sniper to the exact position where he was supposed to stand. “Alright, now we got all four corners covered with different varieties of projectiles and explosives alike. Alright fellas, on the count of three…”

At those words Scout winced, Spy raising his eyebrows next to him at the whole scene. Noticing Scout’s distress, Pyro immediately threw a hand over his face as if to protect him the moment Engineer began counting down.

“One…two…THREE!”

A loud series of simultaneous explosions, and another wave of electrical zappage whisking it all away; the bike survived once again with barely a scratch. Spy gave a low whistle at the display, while Pyro lowered their hand now that the danger was gone.

“Ha! It was able to handle it all, that’s great!” Engineer practically laughed, Scout sighing in relief once again from the sidelines.

“So can we uh, _finally_ stop shooting shit at my bike now?”

“QUESTION!” Soldier cut in, causing the Engineer to turn curiously over.

“What’s your question, soldier?”

“WE DID NOT THROW ONE OF SNIPER’S PISS JARS AT THE BIKE! THE PISS JAR IS ALSO A PROJECTILE – “

“NO, NONO NO –”

“Depends! I’d say testing that would answer a perfectly valid question; can this tech neutralize the jar far enough away, that the liquid’s momentum afterwards would still no longer hit the bike or its theoretical occupant? I like it!” Engineer turned to Sniper now cheerfully. “You able to bring some down here?”

Sniper paused, taking a drag of his cigarette.

“Got a few empty jars in the garage…I could go out behind a bush and make a new batch right now.”

“Does it have to be piss?!” Scout objected with panic, getting up from his seat in a rush as he looked desperately towards the Engineer. “Can’t ya just put water or – or somethin’ in the jars instead?!”

“WHAT ARE YOU GOING ON ABOUT MAGGOT, IT WOULDN’T _BE_ JARATE IF THERE WASN’T –”

“Now hold your horses there soldier,” Engie interrupted quickly before things escalated, giving the man an easing pat on the back. “Water will be just fine, if that’s what the Scout wants; ‘sides, it’ll be quicker than waiting for Sniper to get his uh. _Business_ …done.”

“Water it is,” Sniper said with a shrug, as he walked back into the garage. “Be back in a jiff.”

“Oh thank god,” Scout muttered, too on edge now after all that to sit back down in his seat.

He practically vibrated as he paced around, bouncing around from one foot to the next. Spy watched casually, before getting up as if to give him yet another pat on the back.

“…There the –”

“Not now Spy.”

Engineer watched the Scout, observing his anxiety quietly from the side. He shrugged, deciding now to put the rocket launcher down in his hands. He flicked the last of his cigarette to the ground, before stomping it out into the dirt.

“You know, I still haven’t tested out the most important feature – well, the most important feature to me, anyway.”

Engineer pulled out the remote control once again and grinned, seeing Scout pause and perk up to look curiously back towards him. Sniper finally walked out with a few jars of water then, looking between them all before setting them down on the dirt ground.

“We still usin’ these?”

“Yeah, we’re doin’ one more projectiles test before moving on to the next one…but the next one is a pretty fun one,” Engineer chuckled.

“…Wait wait. Before you guys start uh…what’s the next one?” Scout asked, looking between the Engineer's face and the remote as if trying to figure it out.

“So this next test doesn’t really need a lot of people actually; I installed an experimental recall feature on the bike,” Engineer explained proudly, as Scout’s eyes widened.

“What, like it can teleport?!”

The Engineer paused as if hesitating at that.

“Well – no, no it ain’t that. It’s more of a ‘self-driving” kinda affair. You press on the remote and the bike drives as quick as it can using its internal navigation systems to get to wherever you happen to be when you press on it.”

“Oh,” Scout paused, running this new information over in his head. “I mean that’s still pretty cool, actually, you just had me goin’ for a sec there.”

“Ha, yeah well, we also need to test it – we can try a shorter distance here in the yard, and I was planning to drive out further down the road after to push things too.”

Heavy hadn’t spoken the entire time, choosing to observe from the back quietly as he chewed on his snack. He paused as he finally finished it, crumpling the wrapper up before giving a low cough.

“You play with these ideas in any other vehicles, before?”

“Mostly just the sentry and the self drivin’ actually,” Engineer replied, grinning as he tossed the remote over Scout’s way. “Scout, it’s your bike so you can help out with this one if you want.”

“Uh…yeah! Yeah sure. What do I need to do?”

“I’m thinkin’ we kill two birds with one stone. All you have to do is just stand a distance away and recall your bike to you. The rest of us will try to shoot it down while its movin’ and we’ll be a bit more spread out.” At that, Engineer turned to the rest of the crowd. “That work for the rest of y’all?”

“Sounds fun,” Medic grinned.

“AFFIRMATIVE.”

“Aye, cheers lad!”

“Eh sure, why not.”

“Okay, everyone just stand over there, there and…there! Alright, now Scout, you press the recall button I pointed out on the remote control on my command. Now, as usual, on three…”

The rest of the mercs not participating watched in curiosity a safe distance away, as Engineer’s countdown began.

“One…two…THREE!”

At the final number Scout hit the button on command, his bike suddenly revving to life.

With a shout everyone started shooting their shots at it, explosives going off as it immediately zipped away. The electrical visuals coursed out again; there went demo’s stickies, the soldier and engineer’s rockets, the medic’s crossbow shots, and even the jars of water flung straight it. It only stopped once it got to the Scout, lights flickering as it skidded to a complete halt. Scout stared, before his face broke out in a big grin.

“Holy shit Engie, that was awesome!”

“I know, right?!”

By now Medic, Demo, and the rest had gone about putting their weaponry away, walking back over to the seating arranged. Pyro shot up, passing them the other snacks they had been saving, offering a new one to the Heavy too who accepted it with a shrug.

“So what, you said you’re drivin’ out further now right?” Scout asked.

“Yeah, you can hop in the truck with me if you want,” Engie replied smoothly, flipping the switch on the short-circuiting defenses of the bike back off. “Rest of y’all going back inside? The show’s pretty much over.”

“I don’t know,” Spy said bemused, walking on over now that everything appeared to be safe. “I was thinking of driving into town myself. Takeout day and all.”

“YOU WILL BRING ME BACK THE –”

“Yes Soldier, I know that you always want the number nine large.”

Soldier saluted towards the man, satisfied at that before grabbing the last of his gear to hustle it back inside.

“Ach, you never get my order right,” Demo said with a mock frown, holstering his sticky launcher. “I’m comin’ with ya to order for meself.”

“You say that _every_ time I handle takeout day,” Spy scoffed.

“Aye, and I’m right to come with ye every time, now aren’t I?”

“Well alright then,” Engie said with a shrug, noticing the small smile that twitched on Spy’s face. “If y’all are goin’ out anyway too we could take the van instead and drive into town after finishing off this last bit of test. Might as well go all together.”

“Ah, then I shall come too,” Medic grinned, poking into the conversation from the side. “I have some eh – some materials to pick up.”

Spy raised his eyebrows at the man as Medic looked back innocently.

“What? Don’t worry about it.”

“Right…”

Pyro trotted over dragging their powerjack before tugging on the Spy’s sleeve too, causing him to look over before turning back to the engineer.

“Pyro’s coming too it seems,” he explained as Pyro nodded back emphatically.

“Alright sure,” Engie said before fishing out his own set of keys to the company van, unlocking it as its lights blinked from the garage. “Anyone else?”

Heavy and Sniper both shook their heads, although Heavy’s response was cut short as he noticed Soldier getting himself into some kind of trouble inside. He immediately ran inside after him, but Engineer flagged Sniper down one last time before he could tag behind after.

“Hey, so I still got my mic on me; I was thinking you could keep an eye on the bike, and we could confirm with each other when it starts moving,” Engie explained, tapping on his earpiece.

“Yeah, I can do that,” Sniper said as he fished his own pair back out of his pockets. “You lot bringing the bike back with you yeah? I don’t fancy waitin’ for it to make its way back.”

“Yeah nah, you just need you to stick around before it departs. Don’t have to follow it neither, I installed a camera on the front just for this sorta thing.”

“I call shotgun!” Scout shouted, voice cutting through as he was the first to make it triumphantly to the car doors before hopping inside.

He quickly twisted off his shoulder bag as he sat down, popping out a quick bonk for the upcoming ride.

“…Guess you should get goin’ then.” Sniper shrugged.

“Yeah, I better,” Engineer agreed, giving Sniper one last wave of thanks as he jogged back towards the rest of his teammates inside the garage.

“Ah, there you are; quick question,” Spy asked as he got inside from the backdoors, watching as Engie made his way as quick as he could into the driver’s seat ahead. “Since this is your first time, Engineer. What would you like me to order for you when we get there?”

At that Engineer paused, putting the keys as he was into the ignition.

“Uhhhh hm…I don’t know, where do y’all usually get your eats?”

“Oh, there are a lot of places,” the Medic answered for him cheerfully from the backseats. “We just bring back from any of them, you know…”

“There’s a fried chicken place, a mexican place, a burger eatery, a second burger eatery that also serves curly fries and has the burger where the buns are instead two grilled cheese sandwiches respectively, and a twenty-four hour breakfast place,” Spy replied smoothly. “Any of those options pique your fancy?”

Engineer pondered in thought as he maneuvered the van out of the driveway, around the bend.

“…What kinda Mexican place?”

“If the owners were not Mexican, I would not refer to it as a Mexican place,” Spy responded simply.

Engineer nodded decisively at that.

“I’ll take Mexican then.”

“Good taste laddie, that’s what I’m getting’ too – boyo here on the other hand only ever orders the chicken now, don’t he?” Demo said with a grin, poking his head from behind.

“What’s wrong with chicken? I like chicken!” Scout frowned, swigging from his drink as he turned around back to face him.

“Well sure, sure ye do, but ya always ask for the same large bucket! There’s more even on the one menu alone in there!” Demo teased with humor as he gave both Medic and Spy respective nudges, causing the doctor at least to give him an interested yet curious look. “Haven’t ye ever wanted to try somethin’ else from _there_ at least?”

“The bucket is fine! The bucket never did me no wrong, and the bucket is great for pickin’ up chicks too, I’ll have you know!”

A muted choked sound came from Spy at that, but Demo’s smile for his own part twisted, as if he had been waiting on those exact last set of words.

“Oh, that’s right, how could I forget!” He began, grin widening. “Maybe if you were holdin’ one while tryin’ to impress that lassie the other day, shoutin’ about that ‘sick flip’ of yours, she woulda absolutely agreed to a date after ye crashed into the local library!”

At that moment the van hit a bump in the road, causing Scout to choke on his soda. Medic immediately wheezed in laughter along with Demo in reaction as Scout spluttered, Spy merely sighing as he shook his head from the side.

Engineer tried to keep a straight face as he paid attention to the road…but... _well._ He had to admit. He couldn’t exactly help the small twitch giving himself away at the corners of his own mouth. That new explanation did make a lot more sense considering the injuries he’d been patching up, come to think of it.

“I – that’s – how did you know about that?!”

“I was out buyin’ drinks for the lads and saw you go flyin’ straight through!”

“I mean to be fair,” Engineer tried to interrupt as tactfully as he could before making another turn, “The story you came up with as to how your bike ended up like that was a bit…”

“You mean you sat there Demo, you sat there listenin’ to me go on about beatin’ up some punks makin’ moves on my girl –”

“You said an entire gang of ‘punks with chains’ Scout!” Medic finally managed to cut in, still wheezing with mirth. “An entire gang that you said – that you said you fought off _single-handedly,_ before they took vengeance while _you were distracted_ on your bike I – HA! Oh, it’s too much, it’s too much,” Medic practically cackled, still slapping Demo on the arm.

“Yeah yeah, very funny Doc,” Scout sulked, before turning back to Demo. “No seriously buddy, why the hell didn’t you pull a fast one on me sooner?”

“It simply wasn’t the right time,” Demo replied sagely, grin still twitching as Medic buried his face into the side of his arm shaking in continued laughter.

Spy elbowed Demo at that, eyeing him as if to communicate that was enough. Demo shrugged playfully, still smiling, but didn’t push Scout further at his silent request. With a nod Spy fished a cigarette out of his jacket pocket, before turning to the Pyro still watching the entire scene curiously from across.

“Got a light?”

“Don’t give him a light Pyro, we got a deal going.”

“Deal?” Medic asked, finally managed to catch his breath. “What deal?”

“The kinda deal where Spy ain’t allowed to smoke anymore, that’s what kinda deal, aight? Seriously though Pyro, don’t give him your lighter,” Scout added, before crushing his newly finished soda can on his head.

“Wait, yer giving it another go?” Demo looked over at Spy now, face suddenly going serious as his eyes lit up. “Really now? Why haven’t ye told me yet, lad?”

The corner of Spy’s mouth twitched at that, as Engineer snorted at the front; seems the fella had forgotten his little deal…well, it wouldn’t be too long now. Soon the whole team would be in on Spy’s new current predicament. As a back and forth banter broke out between Spy and Medic, with the others chiming in to add heat to the flames, Engie paused as he looked out onto the Basin, examining their fighting grounds as he drove past.

The whole area had been blockaded off, jeeps of nondescript colors littering the area from what he could only assume were both team’s companies. Administration worked fast when they didn’t want nobody poking their noses nowhere, Engineer supposed.

He was hoping to see if he could recognize any uniforms, honestly. It wasn’t often after all, that a cleanup operation of this scale had to be carried out by _both_ companies over the same stretch of land. Not a chance though it seemed…whoever was in charge here was being smart. Well…smarter than usual anyway. The usual flimsy security measures weren’t anywhere in sight, which was another bit of surprise. Ah well…shame.

Still, this was as good of a place to stop the car as anywhere else on the road. Engineer didn’t exactly fancy the concept of waiting for the bike all the way in town himself personally. Not to mention, this distance was far enough to satisfy the goals he had set with the test, while still being near enough that they could steer the van back without losing too much time if something were to go wrong. Engineer eased his foot down on the brakes, before setting the van into park on the side of the road.

“Won’t take too long fellas,” Engineer said, before immediately adjusting his mic and fishing out the bike’s remote control. “Hey Sniper, you hear me?”

The sound of radio static, as he heard the mic on the other end switch on.

“Yep, still here.”

“Alright great. I’m about to hit recall on the bike. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, mate.”

“Good to hear; ‘kay, boutta press on the controls…now!”

Engineer could hear the faint sound of the bike taking off into the dirt from Sniper’s end of the mic, which was definitely a promising sign.

“Well, it definitely started drivin’ in the direction you fellas took the van,” Sniper said. “Nearly ran over some stray raccoon though.”

“Did you see the bike dodge, or did the animal get outta dodge on its own,” Engineer asked curiously, making as if to fish out a new cigarette before immediately freezing and putting his hand away slowly remembering Spy; best not to torture the man with that which he couldn’t have right now.

“Huh…yeah I think the bike did dodge,” Sniper mused carefully out loud. “Should I head back then?”

“Oh yeah, go ahead no worries,” Engineer replied trying to stay focused as he continued ignoring the commotion still going on in the back. “I’ll be checking the camera footage later anyway, so I’ll watch for that.”

“Works for me,” Sniper replied, short and to the point. “Seeya then truckie.”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

Buttons clicked as the lines were then closed from both ends. Engineer stretched before turning to the others still going at it in the van.

“You fellas wanna wait for the bike outside? I reckon we can open the back doors, get more comfortable, and keep an eye out from there.”

“If it will get everyone off my case then sure,” Spy replied sharply with a roll of his eyes, before sighing. He got up and stretched before opening the doors then himself. “Apologies; I think I could use some alcohol anyway. Demo?”

“What?”

Spy sighed, turning around before giving Demo a pointed look.

“…Demo.”

“…Oh. Oooh! I keep the whiskey in the crate to the left lad – pass me a bottle too, would ye now? Y’know which one’s me favorite.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t know how you fellas can drink that stuff,” Scout snorted, opening his own door as Engie did the same as well.

He grabbed a few more cans of Bonk and stuck them in his pack before climbing like a monkey to sit on top of the van’s roof, cross-legged.

“Scout, it looks like Pyro’s coming up to join you,” Spy called out as he pulled out a couple of select bottles from Demo’s stash.

Pyro was wriggling their way up with some help from Demo and Medic, before they finally managed to reach the top waving proudly.

“Heya buddy,” Scout grinned, sharing a fist bump.

As Demo and Spy made themselves comfortable at the opening of the van with their shared drinks, Medic opted to go back in, stretching his limbs out now into his newfound free seating. Spy and Demo nodded towards Engie as he made his way around, before shifting to make enough room for him as well. They were elevated up enough from the ground that Engie’s legs could swing a little, but not elevated enough for Demo’s or Spy’s to be as well. Scout tossed the man a can of Bonk from above, Engineer examining the newly caught drink apprehensively with suspicion in his hand.

“I have never drank a single one of these things in my life,” he finally said slowly. “Always been worried one of the things would damn near kill me, honestly.”

“Aw don’t be such a baby,” Scout grinned from above. “What, y’never had soda before?”

“I mean sure I suppose, if there’s nothin’ else in the fridge.”

Engineer popped the tab on the soda can testingly, hearing the sounds of the liquid inside fizz. “Don’t suppose you can clue me in on the flavor profile I should be expecting?”

“Like a Doctor Pepper but somehow sweeter,” Spy replied matter of factly, before taking a swig of whiskey himself. “Alcohol is still better.”

Engineer continued to scrunch his nose at the can before raising it slowly to take one experimental sip.

“…Huh,” the man finally said. “That description was dead-on accurate.”

“You don’t have a built-up immunity to its…properties yet,” Spy snorted ignoring the way Scout looked at him curiously.

“Don’t drink it too fast or drink too much at once. It’ll give you a high, but you’ll be regretting the side effects worse than any hangover you’d get from good old-fashioned alcohol.”

“Since when the hell have you ever drank Bonk?” Scout interrupted questioningly.

“It’s a tool utilized by your class in combat Scout,” Spy replied in a clipped tone of voice. “I’m a Spy; I make it my business to know about _everyone’s_ choices in terms of weapons and utilities.”

“Huh…” Scout hesitated. “…Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

“If you really knew so much, you’d start using a sword in battle instead of that wee knife of yours,” Demo joked.

“If I know so much then perhaps _you_ should consider using one of my knives, instead of your usual melee weapons yourself,” Spy replied, shooting another joke just as quickly back.

You could tell he wasn’t upset with the man however, a crooked upturned sort of smile managing to spread across his face as it did.

“Oh? Is that a challenge? We switchin’ our melees perhaps one of these days?”

“If you’d like.”

“Ha! You’re on.”

“Speaking of wagers,” Engineer mused, taking another, braver sip of the soda this time around. “How ‘bout we have one right now to make the watch for the bike more interesting?”

At those words all of them could hear the sudden shuffling of Medic perking up from the back.

“Wager? We are making a wager?” The doctor asked eagerly, hopping out of the seats to join the rest now that he noticed there was some fun to be had. “What _sort_ of wager?”

“My wager is fairly simple honestly,” Engineer chuckled. “Whoever calls out the bike coming down the road first has to get paid a certain dollar amount by all the rest.”

“…What kind of dollar amount?” Spy asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Depends on how confident you feel about winning I suppose,” Engineer replied, relaxed as he fished out his wallet and pulled out a clean fifty. “I got a pretty good sixth sense for machines, so I feel _pretty_ confident about winning. How much are y’all adding to the pot then?”

Engie unclipped one of his belt pouches, deciding to use it as their impromptu makeshift money pot for now.

“Well that’s some grade-A bait there buddy, but I’ll bite,” Scout grinned before tossing down a hundred to the pile as well, causing Demo to give a low whistle. “I’m a fuckin’ Scout, lookin’ out for things is what I do! I’m winning this thing, _easy_.”

“Ha! Oh, you say that now, but I’m the one doing all the warning nine times out of ten,” Medic laughed before passing the Engineer a wad of twenties and a few singles. “A hundred and _five_ dollars from me.”

“Two hundred from me,” Spy cut in crisply before passing Engineer two practically brand-new bills. “I’m the one that _actually_ does the most relaying of information behind enemy lines on the battlefield. I think the odds are in my best favor really.”

The group turned to Demo, who shrugged bashfully in return.

“I think I’m stayin’ out of this one lads,” he chuckled. “I’m not goin’ to pretend I don’t get a wee bit of tunnel vision sometimes.”

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a man knowing his limits,” Engie nodded before pausing as he felt a tap on the top of his hard hat; he looked up into the blank face that was the Pyro’s gas mask.

He blinked then, as five hundred dollars was waved directly over his nose.

“Oh! Now that’s confidence!” Engineer practically snorted, before taking the money and placing it into the pouch as well. “We’ll just leave this inside the back of the van until one of us spots the bike then…”

Engineer’s voice trailed off as he noticed what seemed to be the sight of mercenary personnel making their way towards them from their positions at the blockades. Engineer swore softly under his breath before throwing the pouch back inside and finishing his soda in one swig, quickly adjusting himself up. Spy noticing made as if to say something, before closing his mouth when he saw what Engie did coming down the road.

“Aw great,” Scout muttered as he squinted to see who was walking towards them. “It’s a coupla jackasses from GRN. They got Mann Co. goons all the way out here?”

GRN may be its own company, but considering it was run directly under the Hales these days, it might as well be a Mann Co. subsidiary right now, for what it was worth. The previous owners had died in some sort of freak accident way back and the sole surviving daughter was too young to be running it on her own…past intertwined family and business history gave the Hales guardianship for now.

That shared past between the Hales, the Darlings, and the Manns was…complicated, to say the least. The thing that got Engie’s guard raised though was the fact that GRNs were even here in the first place; they hadn’t been involved in the company turf wars independently in years.

“GRN, BLU, YLW, whichever company we work at,” Spy replied calmly as he checked to make sure his gun and knife were still on hand. “We all get siphoned to one of them through the services of TF Industries anyway. It’s funny, in a way.”

“I swear,” Demo said ruefully, shaking his head. “This is why I always come with ye, you know.”

“I know, and I appreciate it.”

“Let me be the one to do the talking fellas,” Engineer grumbled as he pulled out some clearance cards and papers from his pocket, pointedly ignoring a small buzz he was starting faintly towards the back of his head. “I have a lot of authorization access at BLU’s outside facilities, so I can probably bullshit our way outta this.”

It’s true after all; if this really was a cleanup of some junk AI program and a case of crossed counter corporate espionage, he should have more than enough clearance to get them all moving away unscathed. He worked at the damn facility the same experiments were going on in after all…it’s not like he didn’t _know_ what was going on.

Still though. If GRNs were getting involved, then Mann Co. was getting involved…and if Mann Co. was getting involved, something had overridden the profitability of the gravel wars to force them to step so physically in. And that, Engineer didn’t like dealing with.

“What the hell are you guys doing jacking around out here?” One of them shouted, the other already training his gun in their unimpressed direction.

“Calm down fellas, we’re just waiting on a small autopilot test to reach us out here and we’ll be on our way,” Engineer carried his voice over back, keeping it composed and even despite the necessary volume.

That small buzz again; ah well, just keep ignoring it.

As the group got closer, Engineer walked towards them relaxed, passing his authorization clearances to one of the suspicious mercs on the right. He politely ignored the gun being poked near his face by the other merc that seemed to be in charge, keeping his smooth aura of confident placid calmness intact. He could feel his teammates watching carefully from the back, primed as they were to back him up at a moment’s notice.

“I’m with the BLU company’s Valles Caldera facilities, and those fellas in the van are with me,” Engie explained as the GRN merc continued to flip through, examining. “I was briefed on the situation out here, but unless messages were sent out otherwise, our staff should still be able to use these roadways for ongoing developmental projects in unmanned driving.”

“Combat mercs ain’t allowed to be sticking their noses out around here though, and you look like one of them nine to fives to me,” the gun pointer growled in a low voice, eyes narrowing.

“As I said,” Engineer replied unperturbed. “I’m with the Valles Caldera facilities research teams. We’re in the middle of a company war ‘round these parts, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, so the presence of combat specialists with me is sorta warranted.”

“Checks out,” the one with the documents finally said, snapping them all shut. “These ain’t fake – but you still can’t be hanging around out here. I don’t care if you’re a research head, you still don’t have access to the Basin for the duration of the cleanup.”

It was a good thing Engineer had his goggles and hardhat on, because that caused his eyebrows to raise…not like Miss Pauling to just _not tell him_ that his usual clearances weren’t going to fly here like usual. Now why would she go and omit something important like that?

“…Odd. I figured you’d be bringing us research heads in from both companies for negotiations over the materials later on anyway – you’ll have to forgive my ignorance on that count, given that’s standard procedure in this kinda event.”

“We’re not asking anyone to come in...not now, and not in the future. You get a warning this time but if we see you parked around in the future, we’re going to shoot – no questions asked.”

“Fair enough,” Engineer shrugged. “Mind passing me my papers back then?”

“We’re keeping these until further notice.”

Now that caused the mild look on Engineer’s face to twitch.

“…Beggin’ your pardon, but I’m going to need those for work-related purposes. If that’s really necessary here, when can I expect to get them back?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions.” The gun swinger again…Engineer shot daggers into him from behind his inscrutable goggles at that.

He was looking to be a problem. Ignore the buzz. Stay cool, stay calm…

“…Only regarding my work clearances, yes.”

“What kind of research head sounds like a dime a dozen hick _instant_ engineer anyway?”

Ah. He was dealing with one of _those_ assholes.

“Well, all things considered…”

“You making jokes now?”

Fucker.

“The identification photos match up bud, ease it down a notch,” the one holding the papers said almost warningly. “And I can’t tell you accurately when you’ll be getting these back,” he continued, turning back to the Engineer as if warning him off continuing as well.

“If you need ‘em that bad, you could just scan them.”

“Ah, I’ve had it with this guy…”

Engineer’s eyes narrowed as he silently cursed, practically seeing the finger on the jackass’s trigger press down in slow time…

And press.

And press.

Actually, was that the Spy moving in slow motion behind him too…when did he get there?

Why was everything moving in…

Oh.

Oh the Bonk…he had finished it off rather quickly, hadn’t he?

Although, he supposed that did explain the odd buzz he’d been getting…huh.

So _that’s_ how Bonk worked.

As everything around him moved in slow motion, Engineer marveled as his own seemingly continued at its usual regular pace. He stepped back, away to the side of the altercation where he was safely out of the bullet’s path; he could see the rest of his teammates now jumping out of the van to back them up in motions just as slow, speeding up and speeding up, as the effects of the Bonk finally began to wear off.

Sound started rushing to his ears back to normal now, as effects of the soda melted away. Engineer practically stumbled as his head went swimming, the bullet ricocheting off the side of the van instead of burrowing into his head. The merc that shot gave a strangled yell as Spy gripped the back of his throat, burying a knife into his back. The other GRNs there turned shouting now, as the BLUs came roaring into them. Well…so much for trying to keep things civil.

They were in the middle of a bona fide gunfight, now. Engineer tried desperately to regain control of his head, before feeling the safety of a cooling medigun beam surround him, a gloved hand keeping him steady from the back.

“How the hell do scouts keep drinkin’ that darn brand,” Engineer muttered, his movements feeling slower than molasses, his head dizzy.

“They have a built-up immunity from most ill effects _due_ to the fact that they keep drinking it! It’s fascinating really…but it should wear off for you regardless in a few minutes,” the doc chuckled.

“Fuck I sure hope,” Engineer practically growled as the two dodged an explosion caused by the triumphantly hollering Demo.

“Can you make it to the van?”

“Yep I…Yeah…”

“Good, good!” Medic grinned, before pushing Engineer suddenly backwards towards it.

He cackled before suddenly turning, shoving a saw into the GRN about to run into him instead.

“Ooooh,” he practically crooned towards the gasping bloody body on the ground, evil smile plastered to his face. _“Sorry!”_

Engineer scrambled towards the van, grasping around in the back as he tried to ignore the ache in his head. His scrap metal, he needed scrap metal, any amount of scrap metal and…ah. Two crates of the stuff. Perfect…just enough for what he needed.

He fumbled with his PDA, dialing in the right building before unfolding a toolbox and getting to work with his wrench swinging. He would deal with this horrific headache _later_ but now he had to…

Quickly.

Level one…the loud heavy thwunk of an aluminum bat into flesh, the sound of Scout shouting expletives.

Level two…the acrid smell of fire, the sounds of a pyromaniac’s gleeful muffled laugh.

Level three…where was Demo even hiding that battle axe he had begun swinging anyway?

“There’s more coming towards us from the walls!” Medic shouted, as Engineer threw the freshly upgraded sentry with a pained grunt outside. He banged his wrench, deploying it as quickly as possible, Medic hitting uber on the Pyro to stand in front of it and shield from any incoming fire.

“Hey! Hey what the fuck are you guys doi –”

A loud shout as a bicycle came barreling through the enemy crowd…Engineer couldn’t help but laugh as Spy pulled him by the collar back inside.

“GRAB THE BIKE AND GET IN!” Spy practically shouted as all the other teammates immediately collapsed back towards the van on command. “GO GO GO!”

Engineer wasn’t entirely sure what happened next as he felt himself tossed into the front passenger seat, heard Demo and Medic grunt as they tossed Scout’s bike as best as they could inside. The back of the van’s doors were still swinging as they left the sentry, gunshots still firing, covering their escape from the last of the enemy GRNs. He looked over still dazed to see Spy driving the van now, fiddling and cursing with a cigarette. Pyro’s hand reached forward hesitantly to the front to pass him a lighter and help. Without all the adrenaline allowing him to ignore it, the full force of the skull-splitting headache began to hit Engineer like a crashing wave and he groaned, twisting his eyes shut in pain.

“Just a few minutes Engineer! You can battle this one out!” Medic hollered unhelpfully from the back as he slammed the doors of the van unceremoniously shut.

“Hey, I’m sorry bud, I didn’t think you were gonna down it all in one go, y’know?” Scout said worriedly, poking his head over the seat partitions himself now.

“It’s fine,” Engineer tried to groan out, teeth still gritted shut. “It’s fine…”

“If it’s any consolation I managed to get your papers back,” Spy muttered, foot still pressed to the gas. “I’m holding them in my jacket’s inside pocket until you have a better handle of yourself.”

“Heh…thanks…guess nobody won the bet though, yeah?” He tried to joke before wincing.

“Ah’m the neutral party, so I’ll hand everyone’s money back,” he heard Demo respond now soothingly, fishing out the pouch with the now-forgotten reward pot in the back. “Don’t you worry lad.”

“…Thanks.”

“No trouble at all Engineer,” Spy replied shortly as he took another sharp turn, wheels squealing. “That’s what teammates are for.”

Engineer responded with one last grunt before leaning back, doing the best he could now to ride out the rest of the pain. Even with all of it hammering inside him though, fogging up the thoughts in his brain, Engineer couldn’t help but feel himself simmer, glowering as he went over every single minute detail of the altercation that had just played.

Something fishy was going on over in the Basin…and it sure as hell weren’t no fucking AI experiments gone loose, that was for damn sure.

Goddamnit.

He figured out now why Miss Pauling hadn’t told him a damn word…they’d been in contact enough times by now. Enough times at least to have the other even a little bit sussed out. Engie had always been the sort that if you told him not to open a door or look into a box, he would absolutely open that door and look into that box.

And that…that’s what the woman had probably been trying to avoid.

_Goddamnit._

Alright, so he had two items of importance on his agenda now…breaking into the REDs base was still happening again, obviously. But whatever the hell was going on in the Basin?

Engineer wanted to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No pics with this chapter, I kinda tuckered myself out on the last one, lol. Either way, I hope y'all enjoyed! Building up to some fun, trust me.


	18. Chapter 18

He should have known that the blue engineer would somehow manage to give him extra trouble, without even physically having to be there. Spy shook his head, more frustrated than anything, as he made his way down the base’s halls. He was headed towards the storage and archival rooms; the specific part of the base his own team’s engineer had said he ran into the imposter. Spy would begin his search combing for any sign of an enemy teleporter from there. If that failed, he would check the rest of the base proper, before repeating his initial search. He paused as he pulled out a sheaf of papers smartly from his jacket pocket before straightening it, focusing first on the full map of the base on top. He was planning to keep track of his search progress as he went about from there.

Theoretically, he could ask for help with this little project of his, but Spy had yet to tell anyone his suspicions regarding the enemy engineer. He wrinkled his nose as he flipped through the rest of the sheets he held, mostly inventory. The less he had to explain the better, especially given what part of his theory was based on. Quite frankly, it was both an insult and an embarrassment to himself that _anyone_ outside his profession had managed to dig up anything of that level of sensitivity on his persona. He may have been able to wipe the offending digital materials once he had realized, but the mere _concept_ that they had existed in the first place just…

“Mmph?”

Spy blinked as he was broken out of his thoughts, before turning around to see Pyro trotting up behind him. They carried what seemed to be a hefty looking box under one of their gloved arms as they stopped, tilting their head towards him curiously.

“…Hello there,” Spy said slowly, before quickly pocketing his papers back away.

He gave Pyro a polite nod as the two of them exchanged the customary physical pats to spy check. He gave another brief satisfied nod before freezing – Spy remembered the entire reason he was here. The blue engineer. He had been _disguised_ as Pyro at the time. Yes, the Pyro before him was covered in all those stickers still, but…Spy sighed silently in his head, realizing he was going to need a little more proof than that. Yet again, the man was giving him more trouble than he was worth.

He had to think of something that only his specific Pyro would react in a certain way to, and fast. A flash of inspiration struck him; Spy pulled out a case of his usual brand of cigarettes. Keeping his face smooth and unchanged, he pulled one out before offering it to his teammate. After all, only the real red Pyro would remember the incident from yesterday.

“This is your favorite, is it not? You quite enjoyed the smokiness, if I recall.”

Someone disguised as Pyro would simply take the cigarette, confused – no doubt the blue engineer would have. The real Pyro on the other hand…

“Mmph!”

Pyro put their unencumbered hand on their hip, their body language alone clearly miffed. From what Spy could vaguely make of their speech, he could get the sense Pyro was asking if he was making fun of them.

“Apologies,” he said, trying to hide his smile as he calmly put the cigarette back into its case. “I was simply double-checking. I’m sure you of all people can understand that one can never be too sure after all, particularly these days.”

Pyro paused at that before realization dawned on them. Their body relaxed, as they shook their head with what sounded like a snort. They didn’t respond further than that though…rather they continued to stand there. Staring.

Quite uncomfortably, in fact.

“Is there a…?” Spy’s voice trailed off questioningly.

Still no response, as Pyro merely tilted their head again.

“…Right,” he hesitated with a shrug. “Well then, I suppose I should get going…”

Awkwardly, he turned around as if about to sidle off.

“Hwaih!”

Spy turned around again, eyebrows raised to see Pyro flapping their free hand suddenly, hopping from one foot to the other as if they had come across the greatest idea ever.

“Is there something – ah!”

Spy’s question was cut short as his arm was forcibly pulled forward by the drag of Pyro’s hand grasping his. Pyro held Spy’s arm there before looking at him hard again, as if they wanted him to stop and follow along. Pyro paused to put their box of items on the ground gingerly, before quickly getting back up as if fully committing to whatever plan they had.

“Mmph!”

“Alright,” Spy sighed with a shrug. “I’ll bite.”

Better to go along with what they wanted, than to risk the loss of another good suit. Pyro gave Spy a satisfied nod before letting go of his hand experimentally – they kept their own barely an inch away in place, their palm and fingers spread out. Curiously Spy imitated, following along.

Pyro made as if to clap his hand now, and Spy followed, returning the gesture back. Pyro pulled their hand away, balling it into a fist; Spy did the same. A fist bump, followed by Pyro bumping their first above his, and then down below. Pyro unfisted, raising their hand up, as if for a high five. Spy kept following along. Up high, then to the left, then down low. This was followed by crossed arms and a pinky shake, before one last proper handshake and a high five. Pyro did a happy jump at that, pleased, before picking their box of goods back up from the ground.

“Hm,” Spy mused. “Not a bad idea actually.”

A secret handshake certainly wasn’t the _worst_ idea in this sort of scenario, although the way Pyro went about it was a bit in the style of children on the playground, in execution…then again, this was Pyro after all. On brand for them, honestly. Pyro nodded proudly, before tapping the side of their own head.

“Whih you rhmhmbrr?”

“Will I remember? I’ve a good memory, no need to worry.”

“Firebug, is that you over there? I thought you’d be at the storage room by now – oh! Spy…?”

The red Engineer came walking down the hall, heaving two boxes over both arms effortlessly. He stopped though as he spotted the two of them, surprised. Pyro turned around excitedly to wave, running with hop steps back towards him to take part of the load off his hands. Engineer chuckled, before looking back towards Spy curiously, as Spy gave a polite nod and a small half-wave back.

“…We goin’ in the same direction? I was just movin’ some stuff here with Py’s help to one of the storage rooms I got set for me. ‘Course Py here is helping an’ –”

“I suppose I can help too,” Spy cut in curtly, before taking one of the boxes from a surprised Pyro with a grunt. “Shall we?”

“Uh – er, yeah! Sure…”

Spy wanted to talk to his Engineer actually, regarding the incident from the night before. It would be better not to mention his true intentions out here with no privacy however…though how the red engineer had managed to carry _two_ of these boxes so easily all this way was beyond his understanding. The three of them walked then together the rest of the way down the halls, with Engineer sneaking Spy curious looks before flicking his goggled eyes back away. Pyro looked between the two of them as well, just as curiously; Spy had to suppress himself from sighing outwardly at both of their overtly obvious behavior, but he supposed he couldn’t blame them. Spy’s fault really, for not attempting to socialize more with them sooner. It’s not as if they hadn’t been teammates for years by now.

“…So,” Engineer said, cutting suddenly through Spy’s thoughts. “Uh…I suppose you’re not goin’ back here to the storage rooms yourself for no reason. Is this about…?”

Hm. Spy supposed he should have expected the Engineer to be so observant. Lord knows the man clearly hadn’t forgotten their previous conversation from the way he still behaved.

“You could say I’m performing inventory to look for any… _abnormalities_ in certain areas of our base, yes,” was all Spy replied with.

“Oh, yeah…yeah, uh, good.” Engineer gave Spy another hesitant look once again, before quickly turning his face back forward. “Y’know we can help if you’d like. Least we could do…”

Spy hummed thoughtfully at that, weighing his options; well. Engineer _had_ seen where the imposter had been going himself after all. It would be considerably more useful to have him along than not. Even if Pyro _was_ going to be tagging along as a plus one. At the very least having three pairs of eyes to comb over each room would help the process go by much faster.

“The help would be appreciated.” Keep things short and to the point.

“S’no trouble…ah there we are!” Engineer said, stopping quickly in front of one of the doors around the next corner. “This is where I was plannin’ on movin’ this stuff. If you could give me a sec, we can get this over with in a jiff…”

With that, the Engineer quickly punched a few numbers into the door lock, before a short series of beeps unsealed the door. Spy gave a low grunt as he stepped aside with his own box, keen to be able to put the thing down, and quick. He may be good at hiding the strain this was taking on his arms, but he didn’t like the idea of testing how much longer he could keep that mask up.

Engineer walked inside first, hefting the box he was holding quickly onto one of the shelves to the left of the room. Pyro happily followed along next, with Spy trailing behind. Spy looked around curiously himself now, as he hoisted the box down with another grunt, before dusting off his hands. He knew Engineer had to store all his extra materials somewhere, but Spy had to admit, he hadn’t exactly been expecting this…especially compared to other engineers Spy had done background research on.

The room had been converted in such a way that it wasn’t just used for storage anymore; it might as well be a second workshop altogether. A lab of sorts, as it were. Of all the things Spy was expecting, chemicals and chemical testing equipment hadn’t been it. Some substances he recognized, others he didn’t as strange materials – solid materials that is, were clearly being designed and discovered within this space. The man appeared to have more of an interest in chemistry and its related fields than Spy had initially expected. Hm. No wonder Demo was the one teammate besides Pyro that had deeper involvement with the more reserved Engineer. Their demolitions expert was likely one of the best when it came to the science involved in his work’s expertise.

“Well,” Engineer said, as he surveyed the storage facility himself. “I don’t suppose he…they…whoever it was…they couldn’t have gotten in here, could they? Not without my passcode I mean. I figure a less secure storage area would be the kind most likely to be tampered with, is what I’m saying…”

“Did you see him walk down this way?” Spy asked simply.

Engineer sighed before shaking his head at that.

“Yeah…yeah, I s’pose I did. Well, better safe than sorry then. Best to start lookin’ around.”

“I agree.”

Pyro emphatically nodded in agreement, and that was that. The three of them spread out around the storage area, taking careful stock of everything within the room. Pyro paused, looking at one of the spools of wire hung up to the left side wall on a row of hooks. Taking it down, they skipped over to Engie’s side and poked him. The man turned around curiously only to see Pyro twirling the wire around their gas mask comically, in imitation of an impressive mustache. Engineer couldn’t help but chuckle, covering his mouth as Pyro gave a muffled ‘ta daaa’ just to fully sell the silliness. They were rewarded with a soft smile and a friendly elbow from the Engineer, as Pyro placed a hand on his shoulder back, still giggling.

At that Engineer paused, remembering for a moment that there was still another person in the room. He coughed awkwardly as he pulled away from Pyro, straightening up, looking suddenly keenly interested in a set of shelves. Spy watched carefully before turning back around, pretending not to notice; if there was one thing Spy knew about his own team’s Engineer after all, it was that outside of Pyro, the man liked to keep to himself. He was incredibly reserved, even around his own teammates…guarded. Spy could respect that.

It was just the awkwardness that was difficult to navigate through, right now. The man had always had a bit of an awkward streak, but Spy was finding that it was flaring more noticeable than usual between them now. Again, not that Spy could blame him…he just had to consider how to break through that going forward. Spy paused as he studied a row of more high-tech looking barrels to the back of the room, contemplating the problem ahead.

“Woah, hey! Don’t open those -!”

Spy paused, turning around to see Engineer quickly jog over to him, clearly startled. Pyro put down the wires they had been holding to trot behind.

“Dangerous substances, I take it…?” Spy asked curiously, taking a cautious step back.

“Those? Well not technically, but I don’t want ‘em exposed to room temperatures y’see. Not _yet_ anyway…” Engineer muttered as he carefully checked all the safeguards on each barrel.

“Have they been tampered with?” Spy asked before thinking over his question. “Can you _tell_ if they’ve been tampered with, I should ask?”

“Yeah, I got a lotta monitors on these things…Pyro could you check the cables to the back? Thanks, dear,” he muttered as he continued to look over and assess. “If these things were opened though, I’d be able to see right off the bat.”

Spy watched in interest as Pyro immediately crouched down to help, seeming to know their way around the equipment. The way they worked, it was as if they’d aided this process multiple times before with the man. A few muffled words of feedback as the two finished checking, before finally Engineer stepped back, satisfied. Pyro passed a thumbs up themselves, getting up from the floor now with a soft muffled grunt as they did.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is being stored here?” Spy asked, curious.

“Just some experiments I got working in amorphous metals,” Engineer explained, before noticing the blank in Spy’s face. “It’s just one of my research projects in materials science is all.”

“I had no idea you were working on anything like that.”

“You never asked,” Engineer shrugged bashfully at that.

“Well, I’m asking now if it helps.”

“I dunno, I don’t want to take up your time; still a lot of rooms to go, and we haven’t finished inventory here, y’know?”

At those words Engineer turned to a sudden tap on his shoulder, raising his eyebrows as Pyro held up a clipboard and a pen they had pulled from one of the drawers.

“Ah c'n hrlp whh thht."

Spy paused trying to decipher the words as Engineer’s eyes seemed to widen at that.

“Oh no darlin’ it’s a sweet offer, but you don’t have to do the inventory all on your own…”

Pyro merely shook their head at that, pulling the clipboard away as Engineer reached a hand for it. They shook a finger, giving him a pat on the back as they looked at Spy pointedly. They jogged quickly then back to the shelves before Engineer could protest, already checking items on the list off as Engineer sighed. Spy watched it all with eyebrows raised as Engineer turned back towards him with an awkward cough.

“…You’re probably confused ‘bout all that. I think Py just wants to give me time to talk ‘bout my work here with you is all. They like to help is all, god bless ‘em.”

“They’re certainly good at it,” Spy chuckled as Engineer gave a soft laugh himself, shoulders relaxing.

“Heh…yeah. You still want that explanation? I’ll try to keep it short.”

“If I wasn’t interested, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“Right…hm where to start. Well, I s’pose I can tell you what amorphous metals even are,” Engineer mused. “Tryin’ to keep it simple here, but what makes ‘em different from most metals as an alloy is their atomic-scale structure. Most metals y’see have a crystalline structure which makes them highly ordered at that kinda microscopic level. Amorphous metals are non-crystalline though – they’re disordered. You following?”

Spy noticed the way Engineer seemed more relaxed when he talked about his work, the way he gestured as he talked with his hands. Pyro seemed to lean in from where they were working as well, hanging on every one of the Engineer’s words.

“I’m following,” Spy replied politely. “Continue.”

“Great! Well, what this does is make these materials more ‘glass-like’ if anything,” Engineer continued, face now resting with an easy smile. “Thing is, they still have good electrical conductivity, even superconductivity at low temperatures. Lots of ways different kinds can be produced too, with all sorts of different properties that can be utilized in different fields, for multitudes of purposes. Amorphous steel for example is much stronger than the conventional stuff, and these materials just in general have higher elastic strain limits and tensile strength, although at room temperature some aren’t as ductile…”

Spy’s eyes flitted towards Pyro who was leaning with an elbow against one of the shelves, cheek resting on their open hand as they watched Engineer talk in what could only be described as rapt adoration. They noticed the short moment that Spy’s eyes met theirs however, scrambling back to their clipboard immediately as if nothing happened. Spy tried not to snort at that, as he politely went back to making eye contact with the Engineer once again.

“The storage you’re employing does seem to be unique, here,” Spy finally added as Engineer stopped for a short pause.

“Well, these are kept here less for storage and more so that my other work doesn’t get in their way…lotta things in this room are, actually! It’s like a workshop away from my workshop – or well, more of a lab.” Engineer smiled, eyes crinkling as he noticed Pyro shoot him a thumbs up at that. “Heh…well without boring you, I’ll just say that the specific experiments you asked about here are testing the unique softening behaviors of those materials.”

“I’ve infiltrated facilities investigating projects much less interesting then what you’re discussing,” Spy replied matter of factly as he fished for a cigarette from his jacket pocket. “And those tend to be run by full teams; the fact that you can accomplish this much with such a reduction in manpower and resources says a lot to your own capabilities…mind if I smoke?”

Engineers cheeks tinged, back straightening at that, before the man regained control of his facial expression.

“Outside of this room, if you don’t mind,” he replied, doing his best to keep his voice neutral.

“Of course,” Spy said, pocketing the case again.

Pyro walked over now, task seemingly complete. They put a hand on one of the Engineers shoulders as they passed him the clipboard, adding their own cheerful two cents in. Whatever muffled words they said, Engineer’s face flushed up once again as he turned to them, face pleased but clearly flustered.

“Py -!”

Spy watched on, clearly amused as Engineer tried to regain himself once again, finding that the more time he spent around Pyro, the easier it was becoming to decipher their mumbled words.

“They’re right you know,” Spy added, entertained as he made smoothly towards the door. “Anyone both this smart and industrious is indeed quite the catch.”

Spy paused outside the door now as he placed the cigarette he had been itching for between his lips, lighting it. The corner of his mouth twitched as he heard Engineer splutter, before eventually those two exited the room as well. Engineers face stayed passive as he punched in another code into the door lock a second time, sealing it shut.

“Guess we can cross off that room,” the man finally shrugged, as Pyro gave another nod. He hesitated before turning to Spy now. “…How long have you been able to understand Py?”

“I don’t quite…not yet. I was just able to pick out enough to parse the gist of what was said. Why…? What sort of things does Pyro _usually_ say when they think nobody understands them?”

Spy tried not to laugh as he took another drag, Engineer’s face flushing up at those words once again. His mouth opened and closed, lost for words at how to respond to that.

“Wh – what?”

“Jokes at Scout’s expense, no doubt.”

Pyro immediately laughed wholeheartedly behind their gas mask in response, as Engineer managed to recover his face a bit. Pyro shook their head then, still seeming to chuckle before pointing at Spy now.

“Mhr lrrh ah _yhr_ hrsprns.”

It was said so quickly Spy couldn’t help but blink, trying to decipher whatever cryptic phrase Pyro had thrown at them this time. After a full brief moment of futile consideration, he gave in, turning towards the Engineer with an almost sheepish smile.

“I didn't quite catch that one. Would you mind translating...?”

Engineer snorted before shaking his head.

“They said more like at _your_ expense.”

“Ah…touché.”

Spy allowed himself to crack a small rueful grin at the joke, as Pyro practically giggled, Engineer chuckling as well. Spy pulled his sheaf of papers back out now, marking the lab off his list. One down, far too many more to go... he considered his next course of action for a second before looking up at his teammates again.

“Are you both still interested in helping, or are we parting ways from here?”

“Heh, nah no worries, we’ll still help,” Engineer replied, relaxing a bit more now. “Next couple rooms down this hall don’t require passcodes which is good; should we split up and cover them, or do ya wanna all stick together instead?”

“Stick together,” Spy replied curtly. “Better to comb through individual rooms faster as a whole. The next few look to be loose equipment storage rooms. Shall we, then?”

“Huddah!” Pyro nodded eagerly.

The group made their way to the next room, fanning out inside; most of its contents were old training equipment, for target practice and the like. The next room was much the same, albeit with more gym equipment and exercise machines. Both relatively uninteresting, but they made quick work of each. The following rooms were much the same, as Spy ticked each one off the list. Spy had to admit, he was silently incredibly grateful for the help; it made the work go by all the quicker between the three of them. As they worked their way down the halls, they finally reached the more archival areas, the next room being one dedicated to the old projection equipment used of RED teams past.

Boxes and boxes were stacked haphazardly to the sides, mostly filled with old slides and rolls of antiquated film. Spy grunted as he pulled out one of the old rolling projector screens, hoping to free up space to look around the areas of the room behind. As Engineer helped him out, Pyro seemed more interested in the contents of the boxes, managing to pull out an old projector. They fiddled curiously with the dials, messing a bit around. Engineer looked over interested as Spy shook his head quietly at the newly freed empty area, surveying.

“That thing still workin’ Firebug?”

“Uhuh,” Pyro said.

Suddenly a light from the device flickered on as Engineer laughed.

“Well, will ya look at that!”

Spy looked up now as he managed to shimmy his way back out, turning his head inquisitively now to the newly lit-up screen. He paused as he saw the slides Pyro had decided to load up, playing before them.

“Interested in the slides?” Spy asked.

“Yhh!”

“I ain’t seen an in-detail map of the Basin from the thirties before,” Engineer mused out loud with a low whistle. “And it ain’t just the sulphur springs mining operations marked out here, and everything…don’t think I’ve seen a more fully marked out map of the old underground tunnels before.”

“The old smuggling tunnels,” Spy replied matter of factly. “Back during the prohibition days; I’ve been through this room before actually, around when I first joined with you all. One of the first things I did was go through every box of slides stored here.”

“Got the whole inventory in one of your lists there?” Engineer asked curiously.

“Yes, I do in fact,” Spy said pulling it out. “Although it would be impossible to have gone through the contents of the boxes recently without disturbing the dust; it’s quite layered. This whole room needs to be gone at with several brooms.”

“I s’pose so,” Engineer said, shaking his head as he turned to one of the piles of stacked boxes. “Seems like administration’s been procrastinatin’ on this one. A sorry state, really…”

“Well, there are some silver linings at least,” Spy said as he shuffled through one of the boxes, already knowing where everything was supposed to be.

Finding what he was looking for, he grabbed a set of film before walking it back to where Pyro stood, still fiddling with the set of slides they were currently playing with on the screen.

“Try this one out for size,” Spy said, passing his loot over.

“Huh,” they said curiously, already loading it in.

Spy stepped back with a small grin as the film began to flicker and play.

“What the hell?” Engineer managed to laugh, Pyro seeming to stare at the screen in amazement with him as well.

The film of course, was playing a brief yet horribly misguided attempt of Mann Co’s to produce instructional videos via the use of cartoons. A grotesque cutely proportioned Saxton Hale walked about the screen, limbs moving mechanically about like a puppet’s.

That wasn’t the most horrifying part though…oh no.

This was back when they were experimenting with overlaying human mouths over cartoons at the time, in place of animating actual speech patterns. Pyro giggled, clapping their hands in glee as they watched, Engineer wrinkling his nose in amazement.

“What poor sonsabitches had to sit through this?”

“No idea,” Spy grinned, taking a mirthful drag of his cigarette, clearly pleased. “From what I’ve heard, most other copies of this were destroyed when records were sent for archival purposes to Central at other bases. This is probably one of the few copies of this monstrosity left.”

Engineer shook his head in amazement at that, as Pyro elbowed him excitedly when a puppetlike cartoon engineer made its way on the screen as well.

“Heh, yeah that’s me alright…Firebug, I know you’re having fun, but we should probably turn that thing off now. We still got a lotta stuff to clean out after all…”

Pyro nodded before smartly removing the film, shutting the projector back down. As Engineer helped Pyro gingerly place the device back away, Spy’s smile silently slid away, thinking back now to the map slides Pyro had put up on the screen before. Quietly he walked over to where they were stored, picking them up and silently pocketing them; he might need that for later.

Engineer raised his eyebrows as he noticed, Spy merely shrugging.

“You remember when I told you all I was staying back here, yes? My replacement for the trip will be meeting you all at the preferred time instead.”

“Yeah I remember,” Engineer said, as Pyro turned back around curiously. “What about all that?”

“I’m staying to investigate the situation in the Basin,” Spy said. That was the truth. “Our current…problem, could be related to all that.” That was a lie.

“Oh, I see,” Engineer said frowning before realization dawned on him. “Don’t tell me you’re planning on using those tunnels, are you? I’m pretty sure half of them are caved in by now, and who knows if they got folks stationed down there too waitin’ around…”

“It’s my best bet,” Spy shrugged. “I’ll be casing the areas as well of course.”

Engineer didn’t seem too convinced by that, still frowning.

“If that’s the case I’m leavin’ you access to some of the equipment in my workshop. Maybe something there’d be useful, I don’t know…”

“I’d appreciate that,” Spy replied smoothly before sighing. “It’s too bad really; I never got to go through the slides the BLUs should have had in their facility…shall we get back to it then?”

“Huh? Oh yeah…” Engineer said, turning back quickly to the boxes as he immediately remembered their current task.

He started moving them around alongside Pyro, as Spy made his way over to help. Spy grunted as he helped move alongside another pile of boxes, moving them over to the side.

“The BLUs moved these things out to central storage long ago, but our team never quite got around to it…shame. I’d have liked to see a full layout of the tunnels the _BLUs_ knew about, as opposed to just the REDs…”

“Sounds like we shoulda transferred these things too then,” Engineer replied, giving Pyro a thumbs up as their partner set the box they had been carrying from one of the higher shelves down. “Or at the very least stuck ‘em somewhere more…secure.”

“Administration and their decisions as a whole are perplexing, yes,” Spy said.

“Well, can’t be helped…”

The rest of the inventorying passed uneventfully, as they finished their current room and went on to look through the next. Another room, another marked off x…another room, another marked off x…abandoned photography darkrooms, old office space. Ammunition storage, a strangely secluded yet incredibly clean library space. The three nodded to their teams Heavy who was inside, doing his own inventory work on his collection’s bookshelves. He let them inside with raised eyebrows but didn’t pry, as was his way.

Spy had visited this room of Heavy’s a few times himself actually; the space itself had at one point been just another abandoned office space before the man took it over, gradually filling it with books the longer he stayed. By now the collection had grown quite impressively, alongside comfortable seating arrangements picked by the Heavy himself, and a well-stocked minifridge.

“I’ll take the Computer Science to Social Sciences sections,” Spy said matter of factly to the other two once they were through the door. “Engineer can cover the shelves from Language to Technology, and Pyro…”

Pyro jumped a bit, already inching towards the fantasy literature section themselves quietly. Well, he knew what they were interested in.

“…Literature is in between the Arts section and History, so I suppose that covers everything.”

Pyro nodded vigorously, not needing to be told twice to make a beeline for the books. Engineer chuckled fondly as he watched, before walking towards the shelves he was assigned himself. Spy nodded before looking back towards Heavy; the man had already gone back to his own work with a grunt, unboxing and filing a new shipment of books.

Mostly he collected works of literature in his own language, but he’d also become interested in works of nonfiction over the years; histories, memoirs, collections of academic essays and the like. Usually when Spy wanted to order something for reference purposes, he’d do it through Heavy due to this. It was easier to keep anything he was personally interested in so innocuously in plain sight down here, after all.

Quietly so as not to disturb, Spy made his way past the few shelves actually dedicated to computer science, greatly outnumbered by the section dedicated to magazines, journals, and serials Heavy favored instead. Those were of course from a broad variety of subjects; literary and trade publications, medical journals, and other collections of academic papers. This was the section that contained most of the works Spy usually ordered through him too, actually. Right next to them was the section where Heavy kept his most prized rare manuscripts and books, both from classic works of literature and his favorite philosophical texts. Spy had never really had the patience for philosophy like Heavy did, so he just looked over the titles mildly bored, before continuing on his way.

Spy made it through all four major sections in record time, before returning back where he started. Heavy still hadn’t even gotten through his own unpacking in all that time…Spy walked over, deciding to himself it wouldn’t hurt to ask a few questions.

“Heavy.”

“Spy.” The man looked up with a nod, taking his reading glasses off. “Need something?”

“Just a few questions, if you don’t mind. Anybody besides us come down here recently?”

“Only Medic.” Heavy sniffed at that, as if remembering something. “No…Scout too. He does not read though. Only comes down for nicer chairs. As long as he use headphones, I don’t care.”

“Sounds like Scout,” Spy snorted, before looking down at the books in interest. “New volumes I see. So you must have been doing inventory recently.”

“Since yesterday.”

No chance anything would have gone missing then, not under Heavy’s careful watch. At that moment Pyro padded over with an entire stack of books. They put the stack down with a soft thud on Heavy’s table, looking up at the man expectantly, as Heavy raised his eyebrows back.

“You want to borrow?”

“Yhh.”

“I see many on folk tales here,” Heavy said as he lifted books from the stack, checking all their titles carefully.

“Uhuh!”

“Well I couldn’t find anything but…Pyro, you’re not plannin’ on carrying all those the entire time we’re down here, right?” The Engineer popped out of the last of his sections, giving the rest of them a wave before stopping when he noticed what Pyro was attempting.

“Ah c’n hrrndl iht!”

“How many rooms we got left Spy?” Engineer asked, looking pointedly back towards him.

“...More than ten.”

Engineer’s head whipped back to Pyro at that, with a facial expression that just read ‘see?’

“I can hold onto books," Heavy said. "Take them for borrow when you are on your way back.”

Pyro turned back to Engineer now, as the man sighed; despite being fully covered under their gas mask, Spy could swear he felt a smug satisfied aura waving off them.

“However,” Heavy continued, leaning in, facial expression morphing more serious. “If anything happen to books…if anything get _singed_. We will have trouble, little one.”

Pyro placed their hands on their hips, keeping the goggles on their gas mask level with heavy’s eyes. If there was any fear, they weren’t showing it.

“Uhuh, Yrhh.”

Heavy held a hand out silently, inviting Pyro to shake it. Pyro inspected it carefully before reaching out and reciprocating, the deal now struck. Engineer watched curiously before sighing, cracking a small smile. He turned towards Heavy.

“Thanks, big guy. You didn’t have to.”

“Anyone can borrow. Is no trouble.”

Spy blinked, suddenly remembering something.

“Ah, Heavy. Speaking of borrowing, I was wondering if I could have access to your collection while you were gone…”

There were more than a few maps and journals on the Basin itself in here that Spy could readily utilize. Certainly he could access this room without Heavy knowing, but he respected the man enough to just ask. Besides, easier to have a key then to continually pick a lock and reapply it anyway. Heavy shrugged at that before nodding, fishing out a spare key from his pocket. He tossed it to Spy who caught it, before putting Pyro’s stack of books under the table for later.

“Here. Do not mess it; I will be checking when I get back.”

“Of course. Thank you.”

“Is no trouble.”

Heavy put his reading glasses on, seemingly ending the conversation there. The group waved their thanks as they exited, pressing on. Onwards they went, making their way to the next room, and the next room, and the next…

Finally they reached one of the larger storage spaces; another clearly abandoned one, dust particles still hanging in the air. Engineer turned the lights on as the group blinked, surveying around. Clearly it had been meant for storage of larger workshop equipment; abandoned boxes of scrap metal, old antiquated engineering gear dotting the shelves. Engineer chucked as he patted what appeared to be an early dispenser model, clearly no longer functioning.

“Now those, I ain’t seen in a while. Then again, I hardly ever venture out to these rooms…”

“Well,” Spy sighed, “Let’s get moving then.”

Despite their best efforts nothing in this room looked off either. Spy gave a low irritated grunt as he crossed what was now the last room off his list as well. Engineer gave him a curious look as he noticed, before walked over hesitantly, giving the other a comforting pat on the back.

“Hey now, let’s not get our heads too clouded with frustration, alright? How 'bout we take a break and come back with fresh eyes?”

“Hm,” Spy sighed, silently pocketing his papers away. “Not the worst idea…”

“You’re damn right it’s not,” Engineer chuckled, as Pyro nodded behind him. “Listen. Me and Pyro are gonna be driving into town to pick up some materials before the trip the team’s takin’ up ahead. You want to come with us? Some fresh air after all this dust would do us all some good, I wager.”

Spy sighed before shrugging.

“I suppose you’re right…alright, I will.”

“Great! Me and Py are gonna go to the rec room, check if anyone else wants to come. Meet us in the garage if you want to stick here a bit longer, alright?”

“Of course.”

Engineer gave him one last pat on the back as Spy returned it with a final nod, the two leaving the room and him behind. Spy sighed turning back to the room now with his hands on his hips. Think…think…what was he missing? What could he possibly have missed?

Was he just not thinking outside the box enough?

His eyes narrowed, remembering where the blue engineer’s teleporter was hidden the first time he had encountered him…that ridiculous corner. The gymnastics that must have took. He remembered the files he had read, of the agility it must have taken to get up on those roofs and high up areas as well. Agility you’d never have guessed given the man’s…well, the man’s size.

High up areas.

Spy’s eyes widened, mentally cursing inside his head. His head shot up, scrutinizing the ceiling much harder than he had been before. What could the man have climbed? What could he have possibly used to shimmy his way up anywhere?

The dust.

Spy’s head whipped around as he looked even more closely at the various pieces of equipment stored around, looking for any possible sign of disturbance, any possible smudging where there shouldn’t be of moved dust.

There; one of the stacks of boxed of scrap metal. Spy zeroed in on it, looking closer. Now if a man of the blue engineer’s height was to climb on top of that he could jump to…the rim of old furnace down here. It was certainly doable. He’d just have to climb up a bit precariously, reach for one of the shelves…

Spy did the mental calculations, eyes moving from one place to the other before he slowly found himself looking up at the ceiling again…a secluded corner of the ceiling. Just a bit of beam jutting out, but just enough that…

Spy’s eyes widened, seeing for the first time a gleam of metallic blue.

His theory was right…his theory had been right.

He cursed silently under his breath as he slowly stepped back; no doubt, that was an enemy teleporter up there, now that he knew where to look, squinting up at it.

It was actually mildly impressive.

He should shoot it down, destroy it while he still could. At the same time though, this was a unique opportunity…Spy had no doubt the enemy Engineer would be forced to stay back. The work he had at the facilities was clearly of higher importance than whatever mission the rest of his teammates would be sent out on. They’d find a temporary replacement, he’d stay back…and if he was staying back, he’d be planning on using that teleporter during the one time nobody else on the RED team would be around…Spy smirked.

Well. Nobody but him.

Alright, he’d allow it to stay for now. He’d wait the teleporter out tomorrow; if the engineer didn’t use it by then, Spy would destroy it…but if he did? Well. Spy would get his fun.

He smirked looking up at it before turning around, closing the door behind him quietly as he made his way back upstairs towards the garage.

His own Engineer turned around when he heard him, eyebrows raised as he noticed the strange upturn in his mood. Pyro was next to him of course, already reading one of the books Heavy had lent out. They were accompanied by Soldier who noticed him fast enough to quickly hide the finger he’d been picking his nose with, and a clearly bored Scout, already sitting inside the company van with the door open, plugged away at his Beep Boy. Sniper looked up from his magazine quietly, leaning against one of the garage walls to the side.

“We got some company comin’ with us after all,” Engineer shrugged, deciding not to comment on the change in Spy’s demeanor from last he saw him. “Ready to go?”

“But of course,” Spy replied smoothly, already opening the doors to the back of the van smartly, making his way in. “Ready when you are.”

The rest of the mercs bundled into the van with Engineer in the driver’s seat, before he began to back the vehicle out. With a rumble of the engine, they were gone, out on the open road. Spy was quietly thankful he had Sniper with his magazine sitting next to him, and not Soldier, who was already giving Scout trouble over his game. Soldier had his head poked over the backs of the front row seats, giving Scout undoubtedly useless advice as he attempted to keep playing.

“Stop dodging and face ‘em head-on like a man! What are you, some kind of coward?!”

“Yeah, a coward with a kill streak, what do you know?”

“A little more than you do pal, just shoot the gun!”

“I am shooting!”

Pyro watched curiously as Soldier continued poking at the increasingly irritated boy, Spy occupying himself with the view from the windows outside instead. There it was; the Basin. It looked completely different from what he was used to, the way it was closed off.

“Go left! No right! Come on boy, those communist invaders aren’t going to shoot themselves!”

“Back off man, you’re making me lose!”

Spy squinted his eyes as he noticed movements from their usual fighting grounds as they passed by; there seemed to be more activity then he was initially expecting. He wondered what got them all riled up? He squinted harder, trying to see if he could recognize any of the uniforms from this far away, but no luck. He had his theories of course; if Mann Co. itself was involved somehow, the place would doubtless be crawling with GRNs. He just couldn’t confirm quite yet is all…

“The number is going up son, you are a disgrace!”

“The number is supposed to go up, that’s my score!”

“Not THAT number boy, the number of enemies! There should be less, not more!”

“That’s just how the game works man – woAH!” Scout suddenly shrieked.

Engineer shouted a loud curse as he suddenly veered the van off to the side, two trucks with mercenaries hanging out them careening past. Engineer kept swearing as he stepped on the brakes, everyone inside the van trying to regain their place. Spy shot up, scrambling to the front windows to get a better view of the trucks. Ah yes, unmistakable…so his initial theory as to who else was in the Basin was correct. Those were indeed GRN mercenaries and vehicles that had just driven past.

“What the fuck was that?!” Engineer hissed, before starting the car once again.

“GRN mercenaries,” Spy said simply, before returning back to his seat. “It appears that someone…or something has gotten quite a few of them riled up.”

“No kidding,” Engineer grumbled, the van already heading down the road again.

“Well there goes that game,” Scout muttered, pocketing his Beep Boy away. “Man, when was the last time we had GRNs out here anyway?”

“Thuh Lhhk.”

Spy’s head turned to Pyro surprised, before nodding.

“Yes…it was in fact back during the leak incident,” he affirmed as Sniper looked up curiously.

“Weren’t there YLWs too that time?” He asked, setting his magazine aside.

“Yes, a few…might be here currently as well, for all we know. Although not with the gentlemen that so rudely passed us just now, of course.”

“Jackasses,” Engineer muttered, clearly still annoyed.

“Hm,” Spy said, choosing to keep his voice calm. “Regardless, let’s all be a bit aware when we get into town. If that’s where they’re also headed, there may be trouble.”

“They give me more trouble, I give them a wrench to their heads,” Engineer grumbled.

“Yeah, that’s right! They are scum! They are nothing but a bunch of cowards! Why I’ll shove a boot so far up their asses that they’ll –”

“Soldier,” Spy interrupted, giving the man a leveling look before he could get too out of control.

“What?!”

“…I’ll shove my wrench up their asses, how ‘bout that?”

“I like the way you think grease monkey!”

“…Shove my baseball bat up their asses,” Scout snickered, joining them.

“How ‘bout a knife?” Sniper quietly added in.

“Ah ghss tank!”

“Ey, how ‘bout a Beep Boy up their asses too?”

“Mhhches! FHHR!”

Spy sighed, sliding down in his seat, knowing when the battle was lost. At least the suggestions they were starting to shout out now were getting increasingly creative. Five more minutes…just five more minutes and they would be there. He could ride this one out…he had certainly ridden out worse in the past. Normally Engineer would be of more use here, but you could tell the man was still stewing.

“I WILL TAKE MY WHIP, AND TIE IT INTO A FRILLY BOW AROUND MY BOOT! THEN I WILL TAKE THAT BOOT, AND SHOVE IT SO FAR UP THEIR ASSES THAT –”

“Well would you look at,” Spy interrupted quickly, looking out the window once again. “We appear to be here.”

“WHAT – oh good!” Soldier said, immediately changing his tune to look out the window as well. “Engineer! Time estimate for when we will be parking!”

“Gimme a sec, I need to find a space – oh for the love of -!” Engineer hit the brakes for the second time that day, putting the van into park angrily.

Spy looked out the window once again before sighing; it appears as if the trucks that had earlier passed them weren’t the only GRN vehicles in town. They were hogging up the road ahead, parked in the middle of the street.

“Those sonsabitches…” Engineer muttered darkly, slamming the door on his side of the van open to jump out, walking towards the first GRN he saw.

Spy and Pyro exchanged glances before immediately opening the back of the van doors, bounding out after him. No way this was going to end well. Spy barely registered the rest of his team jumping out after them as well, as the two jogged towards the man.

“The hell are y’all doin’ parkin’ in the middle of the street! Ain’t nobody can move!”

“Calm down buddy, we’re just looking for some guys,” The GRN grumbled, clearly feeling just as irate as Engineer was. “We bag ‘em and we’ll be outta everyone’s way.”

“Outta – you can’t take ten seconds to park yer damn truck in one of the parkin’ lots?! There’s one just down the block!”

As Spy and Pyro caught up to their teammate, Spy looked around and paused, noticing who was coming down the street…no. It couldn’t be…

But it was.

The Blue Engineer.

He was walking down the street, carrying what looked like carryout bags alongside a couple of his teammates. The blue engineer looked up, and for a second the two of them made eye contact.

Spy stared hard at him as the man hesitated, before he noticed the GRNS in front of them, face immediately blanching. Spy sighed inwardly at that; of course.

“We’re authorized to park there, so we park there! I don’t have to explain jack to you!”

Oh, of course.

“Clearly, you do!”

“Aw, fuck off jackass, you’re short enough that I can’t tell if you’re giving me a headache right now or a foot ache – hey is that –”

The GRN turned around as if about to walk off frustrated, before catching the blue engineer and his cohorts about to turn around and get out of dodge as well. Quickly he hit a button on his earpiece, making as if about to run towards them.

“Hey those are the guYSOOF –” The GRN gasped as he was knocked towards the pavement by the angry red engineers wrench caving into his head.

“How’s THAT for a headache, you son of a bitch!”

“YEAH THAT’S RIGHT ENGIE!” Soldier shouted, catching up now with the rest while cheering. “NOW SHOVE THAT WRENCH UP HIS –”

The BLUs made as if to run again before stopping in their tracks with a curse, as more GRNs came pouring out the sides. Spy sighed inside his head once again…of course.

“Those are the guys we’re lookin’ for – wait what the fuck, which one of you REDs fucked with Jerry?!”

Of course this would all somehow be the blue engineer’s fault.

“You’ll NEVER TAKE THIS AMERICAN ALIVE!” Soldier shouted, already pulling a grenade off his belt. “YOU ARE ALL LOUD AND UGLY AND SOON YOU’LL BE DEAD!”

Spy pulled out his revolver, as Pyro readied their flamethrower, quietly giggling.

BLU engineer dropped his bags, already going for his shotgun; the Demo next to him pulled out his sticky launcher. The grenade was thrown, as the GRNs began to yell.

With that initial explosion, the three teams converged into a full-on brawl in front of the local laundromat. With one shot, Spy blew the head clean off the first GRN in front of him, escaping into cloak before the others could hit one back.

Soldier had already straight up tackled the first GRN he could see clean into the glass of the laundromat’s windows, beating him bloody with his bare hands while still hollering. Spy uncloaked, going for a stab on another, who was about to run up as if to save his friend. He saw sniper vaguely from the side of his peripheral vision, hacking around with his usual efficiency, albeit back to back this time with the maniacally cackling enemy medic.

“START PRAYIN’ BOY!” The red engineer roared, whipping another one down with the butt of his shotgun as Pyro sprayed flames next to him everywhere. The blue Pyro shot a few flares in on the red Pyro’s victims as well, giggling feverishly at the gargled screams.

Of course, the Scouts for their part had managed to gang up on some poor bastard crumpled up into a ball on the pavement as well…typical. Spy could see the flickers of his blue counterpart on the field too, but not much more than that as he whipped out his gun again, going out for another few rounds of shots.

Of course, the locals hadn’t exactly gone away; most of them were standing by now a good distance off, placing bets. They were used to this kind of tomfoolery by now.

“My bets on them blue fellers this time!”

“The blues? That red soldier’s a maniac! I’m droppin fiddy just on him!”

Spy whipped around, swearing under his breath as he sensed a shot for him from a GRN coming…only to see the mercenary crumple to the concrete of the ground, the BLU Engineer breathing heavily with a wrench over him.

The two made eye contact again, and it was as if the fight around them slowed down.

Spy couldn’t exactly make out what the blue engineer was thinking, blood streaked as it was across his face. Quickly he raised his gun; the Engineer flinched, as if about to jump out of the way. The moment between them ended with the bang of spy’s shot, as the GRN merc that had been barreling behind the infuriating man was sent cursing backwards, clutching his forehead screaming as blood streamed down.

The Engineer paused, looking behind him before looking back.

“…Thanks?”

“Don’t you dare thank me again,” Spy snarled, infuriated as he whipped around, shooting at the next merc to the side. “This is _your_ fault!”

The engineer’s mouth opened at that, before he quickly pulled out his shotgun again, shooting towards the same merc. As their shared target crumpled, his head turned quickly back to Spy now, voice raised in confusion over the chaos.

“What?! How in the hell did you figure on that?!”

“Oh please,” Spy shouted back now, shoving his knife angrily as he did into a man sent careening into him, before tossing the body aside. He pointed towards the Engineer. “As if anyone else is capable of setting off this many enemy mercenaries _all at once!”_

The Engineer paused at that before ducking from a thrown incendiary flare, getting back up just as quickly now to bound over and cave in the skull of another green merc heading right for Spy.

“Is – is that a compliment?!”

“Not in your most blissful of dreams!” Spy was almost seeing red himself now as he shot down an enemy green spy, uncloaking behind that same engineer. “Not in your most twisted of nightmares! How _dare_ you even suggest that –”

The Engineer whipped out his short circuit, taking out the lobbed rolling grenades that came for them before Spy snarled, shooting the offending green mercenary down.

“For chrissakes! It wasn’t me – I mean, it wasn’t me this time – honestly they shot at me first when all I wanted was my damn papers handed back –”

“Your _what?!”_

“My damn WORK papers!” Engineer shouted again, angrier this time as he grabbed a green mercenary into a chokehold, holding him there for Spy to shoot him down. “ _They_ wanted to see the damn things, _they_ wanted to KEEP the damn things, how the hell is a fella supposed to work the next day without his –”

“Alright,” Spy snarled, digging his knife into some other unfortunate back as Engineer shot someone else clean in the stomach, guts spilling. “I’ll _bite_. Why then, were they asking for your papers in the first place?!”

“We just had the van parked, you asshole!” Engineer shouted back, sending out another short circuit pulse with a curse once again. “It’s not _my_ fault one of them was trigger happy, alright, why the hell would I want to get in a tussle with some greens – wait, why the fuck am I explainin’ myself to you?! I don’t owe you shit!”

“You owe me saving you a trip back to your own spawn room, _that’s_ what you owe!”

“What – I saved you a trip back to your own spawn room first! Technically –”

“Oh, you want to talk technicalities, do you?!”

No, this was it. He’d had it. Spy had good and well had it. He slipped away through invis before the blue Engineer could shoot another asinine protest back. Quickly Spy weaved through the fight, gathering his teammates as best he could.

“Time to get out. _Now._ ”

That was the message he gave each one, getting them to peel. From the looks of the movements of the BLU Spy, his counterpart had the same idea. Getting Soldier to retreat from a good fight though…well, that was a battle all on its own.

“Just throw one last grenade and go!” He shouted, pulling the man by the collar of his uniform jacket out of the laundromat’s window.

“SIR YESSIR!”

Thankfully though, Soldier was surprisingly compliant for once. One more grenade off his belt, and he threw it into the remaining GRNs with a triumphant holler…followed by what sounded like whooped Scottish unintelligible hollering from the BLUs side as well.

Ah…he had nearly forgotten the other side had brought along their own explosives expert.

Of course, the combined explosive power sent everyone flying, along with the usual bloodied gibs sent into the air.

“THE VAN, GET TO THE VAN NOW!”

Thankfully it didn’t take much more convincing to get everyone scrambling then that. As the reds raced towards the van, Spy couldn’t help but look back and snort as the blue Engineer returned running into the middle of the smoke and chaos, fumbling to save his team’s takeout bags.

“ENGIE, C’MON!”

A holler from the BLU’s scout had the man scrambling again back towards wherever the rest of his team had scattered. Spy shook his head as he lost sight of the man, stumbling out of the smoke and dust. As the red’s van sparked to life, he quickly shut the doors behind them with a bang, falling back into his seat as the wheels started to screech to life. Engie – his Engie, hit the gas, and hit the gas hard, moving them immediately in reverse.

“The faster we get outta here before their backup comes, the better,” the man snarled.

“…Guess I’m not buyin’ anything new from the Mann Co depot today,” Sniper said quietly, cleaning the blood off his knife as best as he could with the bottom half of his shirt.

“FORGET THE DEPOT, MAGGOT! DID YOU SEE THAT DISPLAY OUT THERE?! BY GOD MEN, WE ALL GAVE SOME! THEY GAVE A LOT, BUT WE DIDN’T GIVE AN INCH!”

“YHH!!” Pyro fist pumped with a whoop, Soldier’s energy infectious to them.

“I will admit,” Engineer muttered darkly, as he whipped the van around now that he had space to drive forward, kicking up dust. “That did feel pretty satisfying.”

“Meatshots, meatshots! Did you see how many meatshots I got?!” Scout cheered, elbowing Engineer in the side as he pumped his fists in the front. “That is how you do it!”

“SUN-TZU MAY HAVE INVENTED THE WAR BUT WE INVENTED WINNING THEM! OORAH!”

“HUDDAH!”

“I LIKE YOUR SPIRIT SON, LET’S HEADBUTT!”

“YRHH!!!!”

“YEAH!!!”

Spy stayed quiet this time around, choosing to pull out a new cigarette for a smoke instead. Administration was not going to be happy about this…but well. It wasn’t as if both teams weren’t going to be out of their hair by tomorrow anyway.

Excluding himself of course…and the blue Engineer.

Spy paused at the thought of that man again.

The blue Engineer.

There was something comical really, about the way he spent so long trying to defend himself to an _enemy mercenary_ of all people. Although granted, in that moment they had been forced to fight together…Spy wrinkled his nose at that. Just the thought was repulsive to him.

Although he did have to grudgingly admit. He could have been paired up with someone worse. Say what you will about the man…he may be ridiculous. He may be infuriating. But you couldn’t say he wasn’t, at the very least, competent at his job. Silently, Spy went over every aspect of that moment on the battlefield again, ignoring the heavy thud of the Pyro’s gas mask and the Soldier’s hard head slamming into each other, as Scout laughed.

Honestly, he wouldn’t be surprised if the enemy Engineer hadn’t been entirely to blame for the whole incident, now that his feelings were more cooled down. Thinking realistically about it in the aftermath, the Greens _could_ get a bit uppity when given too much control of any given area…then again, you could say the same thing about any company’s team out here. Spy sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

Sniper quietly offered him a light as he put his own knife away, and Spy took it, fishing out a new cigarette. As he inhaled the smoke, passing the light with a muted thanks back, his brow furrowed again. He didn’t think he’d be giving that walking irritation the benefit of the doubt, yet here he was…Spy remembered the teleporter exit again. On the one hand, if the Engineer didn’t end up using it, it would give Spy much less nonsense to deal with. On the other…

Spy actually _wanted_ him to use that damn teleporter.

It was just the thought, really. The thought of his stupid damn face when greeted on the other end with a pointed gun and a flashing camera. The corner of Spy’s mouth twitched at that; if nothing else, he could enjoy a bit of levity at the man’s expense.

Spy exhaled another cloud of smoke, before taking another drag once again.

It was really for no reason other than that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're wondering, the cartoon at the end was inspired by the PSA cartoons a la Fallout (https://youtu.be/AY2jPAb6BOQ) and this one really funny cartoon short from The Incredibles (https://youtu.be/1R44MvXeEQw). Other than that, things are starting to come together! Hope y'all are looking forward to what's coming up, haha


	19. Chapter 19

It was an unspeakable hour of the morning, yet the BLU base was buzzing with more life than usual as everyone clattered around before the long drive. Heavy was helping Demo move the last of their bags down for the bus, as Scout raced from room to room anxiously, seeming to be looking for something lost. Engineer groggily drank a mug of coffee in the kitchen meanwhile, doing his best to politely ignore the loud food shoveling coming from Soldier next to him. He gave Spy a silently relieved nod as he entered the room, glad to have someone finally he could actually converse with.

“Mornin,” he greeted as Spy returned the nod back, already making a beeline straight for the coffee pot.

“Good to see you too,” Spy replied, checking the pot’s contents. “Surprised to see you here, actually. You didn’t have to wake up with us too, you know.”

Engineer shrugged as he took another sip, before Scout’s head poked through the kitchen door for what must have been the third time so far today.

“Yo, are you sure you haven’t seen my –”

“No, I still haven’t seen your lucky baseball card in the plastic sleeve ‘round here, and yes, I did look,” Engineer answered like clockwork amiably. “You seen it anywhere, Spy?”

Spy shrugged with a sigh, before downing a swig of coffee from his freshly poured mug.

“You always keep it in your pocket, yes? Have you checked the laundry room?”

“Wha – of course I checked the laundry room, I looked through ALL the stupid laundry, do I look like a dummy?!”

“…And you remembered, I assume, that we place items found in the pockets in the basket on the second shelf to the right then, yes?”

Scout gave a short pause at that.

“Uh…yeah! Totally! Totally checked those places I’ll – I’ll be right back –”

Scout ran just as quickly out of the room as he had entered it, Engineer giving a low chuckle as he watched him dash.

“Not the brightest crayon in the box, is he?”

“I’ve worked with worse,” Spy shrugged, before blinking as he finally noticed the stack of pancakes on the countertop. “Hm…was that you?”

“Nah, Demo got here first and made uh…a lot.” Engineer moved his chair a little bit to the side at that, as Soldier enthusiastically squeezed maple syrup out of the bottle a little too hard next to him.

Syrup gushed across on the table, but Soldier didn’t seem to mind or care as long as at least some of it landed on his horrifically wrecked plate of pancakes. Engineer scooted his chair even further as Soldier dove back into it, cleanly managing to avoid most of his coworker’s mess.

“Ha…he probably made too many on purpose,” Spy laughed lightly, already walking towards their table with a neatly stacked plate of his own in hand. “He likes to be helpful, but never wants to look like he’s _trying_ to be helpful. If that makes any sense.”

Engineer made some room for him on the least sticky stretch of table as Spy pulled out a chair, sitting down.

“Well, you’ve known him longer than me,” Engineer shrugged now. “Only reason I’m up right now is I was plannin’ on driving to my other work arrangements early…what with all the fuss going on lately and all.”

He wasn’t lying there either; he really did want to get to work early today, although for reasons other than his own personal healthy work ethic. He took another sip of coffee with a quirked smile as Spy gave a snort in response.

The sooner he had time to make use of the teleporter he had hidden in the RED’s base the better…and who knows, maybe there would be something there that would help him slip into the old fighting grounds. Two birds with one stone, if he was lucky. Hell, he knew about the underground tunnels BLU used to operate, thanks to research he did back when he first found out he’d be stationed here – who knows what the REDs had going on that’d be similar?

Just then, Medic suddenly burst into the room behind them. The doctor barely acknowledged his teammates as he darted past them with a grunt, grabbing three pancakes from the countertop stack and shoveling them haphazardly into his face. He just as quickly grabbed the entire pot of coffee off the machine before dashing back out of the room, leaving the door swinging with nothing but muffled curses from his still stuffed mouth behind.

“…What’s got his goat?” Engineer asked curiously.

“He had some experiments this whole… _excursion_ of ours is interrupting,” Spy replied calmly. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Honestly, he’s always like this.”

“He could have at least poured his own coffee instead of stealing the entire pot…”

“I WILL MAKE A NEW ONE!”

“Soldier, no –”

It was too late to protest, however; Soldier shot up from his seat proudly, still covered in sticky syrupy mess as he made his way towards the coffee machine.

“Hold on just a second, Soldier!” Spy quickly got up after him, stopping the man in his tracks with a hand to his shoulder.

Spy winced then as he tried to ignore the brown sludge now sticking to his unfortunate gloves, as Soldier curiously turned back around towards him, grin still plastered across his face.

“What’s the problem, private?” Soldier asked, clearly itching to unwittingly spread his mess further.

“You know, we’re going to be leaving in about a half-hour,” Spy replied, keeping his voice smooth as best he could. “There will be… _higher-ranking_ officials seeing us off. And our ah…previous engineer besides. You do wish to look your best, don’t you?”

Soldier paused, before looking down at himself, then back up at Spy. Clarity regarding his situation finally seemed to sink into him.

“…ALRIGHT MAGGOTS, NEW PLAN! YOU MAKE THE COFFEE, I HIT THE SHOWERS!”

Soldier made a race for the door now, running straight into Sniper who stumbled in surprise as he was pushed aside. Sniper looked down mournfully at his newly ruined clothes, as the hurried stomping of Soldier’s boots faded down the halls.

“Well,” he sighed quietly. “Off to a great start.”

“You and the rest of us,” Spy replied, shaking his head in sympathy.

Spy tossed his own sticky ruined glove in the sink, before replacing it with a fresh one from his jacket pocket. As he pulled out an unused coffee pot from one of the cupboards, Sniper finally made his way inside with a shrug.

Spy passed Sniper a roll of paper towels in the meanwhile as the man muttered his thanks, pausing to wipe himself off as best he could.

“Surprised to see you here this early Truckie,” Sniper murmured, tossing the now sticky towels away into the garbage.

“Yeah, I’ve been getting that a lot today so far,” Engineer chuckled as he went back to his coffee. “Well, except from Soldier. I think the man actually expects me to keep this early morning schedule as a regular thing…”

“Christ,” Sniper muttered now, as he stopped fishing around for a clean plate long enough to fully take in the absolute state of the kitchen table left behind. “Don’t tell me this was all his work?”

“Just got him to go to the showers,” Spy snorted, already placing the newly filled coffee pot into its machine to heat up. “I might have used Everett’s name, of course.”

Sniper gave a low laugh at that, as Engineer looked between them curiously.

“Everett…?” He asked, voice trailing off in question.

Sniper and Spy exchanged glances at Engineer’s question, causing his back to stiffen up at that. Things had been going so well, he had almost forgotten…in many ways to his own team he was still practically speaking, an outsider. It’s not as if he knew it couldn’t be helped; most teams he joined already had a much longer shared history going, before he was ever added into the mix.

“Ah, apologies – that was the name of our previous Engineer,” Spy finally replied, shrugging as he now returned back to his seat, coffee duties finished. “I just thought it was alright to use his actual name, given he’s technically retired…”

“Soldier used to follow him like a puppy,” Sniper added in bluntly.

He took a seat at the same table now himself with his own newly procured plate of pancakes. Spy sighed, shaking his head towards him at that. Sniper didn’t seem to notice though, or at least pointedly ignored Spy’s reaction. He reached for the syrup then before hesitating, pulling his hand back. It appeared as if Soldier’s misuse of the stuff had put Sniper off for now.

“…That’s certainly one way of characterizing it,” Spy replied slowly, choosing his words carefully. “He harbors admiration, I think. Everett served in the previous World War, keep in mind – _officially_ I mean. And you know how Soldier – hm. Soldiers in the badlands in general. How _they_ tend to be.”

“Ah,” Engineer replied slowly as well, swilling his mug. “I was too young to get drafted for most of that business myself…although if I’m being honest, it was a pretty close shave. I turned 18 in September of ’45.”

Sniper gave a low whistle at that.

“That’s more than a close shave mate; you must have the luck of a saint.”

Engineer snorted, before downing the last of his coffee.

“Boy, I wish…if you were right, maybe Miss Pauling wouldn’t have chewed us out as long as she did after _yesterday’s_ dance with the GRNs.”

At that Sniper gave a raspy laugh of his own, Spy’s eyes crinkling in amusement himself.

“It’s a miracle we got off as scott free as we did,” Sniper finally managed to add, a lighter smile now on his face. “Outside of the talkin’ to, I mean…”

“It’s ‘cause all them pencil pushers in admin _know_ y’all are gonna be out of their hair soon anyway,” Engineer chuckled. “A few respawns on the GRN’s don’t cost ‘em as much as the usual bail money with these sorts of situations anyway. And I’m pretty sure those fellas had to have gotten a chewing out too.”

Engineer grinned at the thought of that…he sure hoped they did.

“Speaking of Pauling,” Spy mused. “I heard she’ll be arriving on the bus we’ll be leaving in today…although I highly doubt she’ll be driving back with us. I assume a different member of administration will be assigned to keep tabs on our lot while we’re away.”

“Probably Miss Howard then,” Sniper shot in over another bite. “She’s the one we see most often ‘round this area anyway.”

“Can’t say I’ve met that member of admin yet…”

Before Engineer could ask further though, the conversation was suddenly interrupted as Heavy and Demo entered the kitchen themselves. Demo was loudly laughing at his own jokes as Heavy nodded politely, an interested Pyro trailing in behind them. Demo’s eyes lit up though as he spotted their group still sitting there. Quickly he made his way over with a grin as Heavy shrugged, motioning Pyro to continue along after him. As Demo sauntered over, he leaned forward against the back of Spy’s chair, giving them all a jaunty wave.

“I see ye’ all are enjoying my good handiwork,” he observed with some faux smugness, as Spy rolled his eyes lightly before looking back up towards him.

“I suppose we are,” Spy casually replied, as Sniper returned Demo’s wave with one of his own.

“Crates in the back, yes?” Heavy’s voice from further away cut in, as Demo turned to nod towards him distractedly.

“Ah, yeah! In the backroom, lads.”

“Alright…Pyro and I will handle rest then.”

“Aye, great!” Demo’s head turned back now, grin spreading again on his face as he placed his attentions back to the current three.

“I take it most of the supplies have been sorted then?” Spy asked now.

Spy raised an eyebrow as he tilted his head up slightly, eyes meeting and calmly examining Demo’s. “Since you all seem to be moving crates now of…”

“Booze,” Heavy cut in a second time, walking past them again from the backroom as he hefted two crates over his shoulders.

Pyro popped up from the backroom cheerfully too, waddling out with a crate of their own.

“Mmph!”

“Will be back,” Heavy grunted, nodding towards Pyro before the two left the room.

“Aye, we moved most everythin’ out to the garage,” Demo cheerfully added now. “Doc’s bein’ a wee bit of a pain though…dunnae what the fella wants to bring or not.”

“He’ll figure it out eventually,” Spy snorted. “Just let him move his own equipment.”

“Funny,” Engineer mused. “He was just in here not long ago. Stole the whole damn coffee pot; Spy had to go and make a brand-new batch.”

“Ah, just be glad he only ran off with the coffee lad,” Demo snickered before tapping Spy on top of his head. “If it were the pancakes ye’d be shit outta luck; ol’ Snoopy here can’t cook for shite.”

“…Snoopy?” Engineer blinked as Spy silently groaned, Demo guffawing above him.

“It’s true,” Sniper added in matter of factly between bites, still eating. “Shoulda seen him try to cook rice; nearly burnt down the base’s kitchen, and then some.”

“That was because of the faulty stovetop at the time, not me,” Spy replied smoothly. “No need to make it out as worse on my part than it actually was.”

“There’s a reason whenever Spy tries to cook, Pyro always comes to the kitchen,” Demo chuckled, finally getting his laughter back in check. “Wee one has a sixth sense, bless ‘em.”

“Snoopy though,” Engineer murmured, still stuck on the nickname. “Like the cartoon dog?”

“Clever, isn’t it?” Demo grinned, all too proud of himself as Spy lightly rubbed his eyes. “I come up with nicknames for all the lads.”

“That only he uses,” Spy added dryly, a smile quirking on his face now though as Demo made a faux offended gasp.

“Those are my nicknames in the first place! That’s prime intellectual property! You use yer brain to be clever and come up with yer own, says I!”

“Well,” Sniper said as he finished his meal, mopping up his face. “Either way, the grub was appreciated. Thanks again, mate.”

“I just made too much lad! You lot are the ones doin’ me the favor,” Demo scoffed in humor.

“Huh…” Engineer continued. “I guess I don’t reckon I’ve heard you use many yet, is all.”

“Oh that’s ‘cause I’m still tryna suss one out for you now,” Demo turned back to Engineer again, grin wider. “I actually had a few in mind I was gonna run by you…”

Engineer raised his eyebrows as Spy gave another snort, seeming to know immediately where Demo was going with this. Sniper for his part got up quietly to put his plate away in the sink, picking up Engineer’s now empty coffee mug along the way as he did.

“Now, what I’ve been thinking on is a few choice ones – and let me tell you, there’s a funny story about where I got a few from…” Demo started, before pausing to look over as Heavy and Pyro reentered the room again, Heavy clearly frowning. “…Now what’s the problem, big fella?”

Heavy stopped walking towards the backroom as Pyro giggled next to him, shaking his head as everyone else looked over curiously.

“Passed Soldier,” Heavy finally answered, crossing his arms. “Was running down hallway, no clothes…getting water everywhere. Shouting about laundry room.”

Spy sighed as he quickly finished the last of his pancakes, getting up suddenly to clatter his own plate away as fast as he could.

“I better check on him,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“I’ll tag along,” Demo was swift to add, hastily straightening up himself. “Ah, sorry Engie – I’ll have to regale you with my fine ideas some other time!”

“I s’pose you’ll have to,” Engineer gave a nod at that, still grinning.

He got up now from his seat at the table as well, Spy passing his plate over to Sniper’s outstretched hand with a quick quiet thanks. Engineer looked now towards Heavy as Spy and Demo were quick to make their way.

“You need any extra hands over there, big fella?”

“Would be help,” the man nodded. “Mostly seasonings we are carrying, besides rice…just let Pyro take box for road snacks.”

“Yeah, most bases when you get there just got salt, maybe pepper if you’re lucky,” Engineer snorted as he walked behind them now, following Heavy’s cue. “Y’all got the cookin’ down here pretty on lock though. Too many teams I end up with, the issue of eatin’ tends to be every man for themselves. Pretty sure half the soldiers on BLU are livin’ off expired rations at this point…”

“Must be able to work together more than just on field. Rotation system with me and team works,” Heavy replied, opening the door to the storage area. “I enjoy to cook; other Engineer before you did too. Liked to help me the most…besides Pyro.”

Pyro waved their hand excitedly behind the two, seeming to perk up as they heard their class name mentioned. Heavy merely nodded back towards them in recognition, picking up one of the crates before passing it back.

“Engineer, you take spices; I will handle rest.”

As he said that, Heavy slung an impressive amount of rice bags over both arms, walking out the door as Pyro happily followed with their own loot behind. Engineer hesitated before quickly following along as well. He tried not to think too hard on Heavy’s words.

“EY YO, MISS HOWARD CALLED – SHE SAID BUS’S ALMOST HERE FELLAS!” Scout hollered down the halls from the company phone as loud cursing came winding out in response from the medic bay.

If anything could get him to think about something else, it was that; Engineer couldn’t help but lightly laugh. Their group continued to make its way down the halls, the sounds of running, swearing, and foot stomps their now constant companion. The moment they finally made it down to the garage, they set their goods down next to the other boxed supplies and luggage below.

“Well,” Heavy said as he nodded down towards everything on the garage floor. “Should be all.”

Heavy might have said more if Medic didn’t unceremoniously barge in, wild-eyed and huffing slightly, a solitary pancake still shoveled in his mouth. He pushed a cart of god knows what into the garage with him, doing his best to keep certain vials and cylinders from slipping.

“Oh good, good! You’re here,” He grinned, swallowing down the last of his impromptu breakfast, fixing his glasses one-handed. “I need to hide some…things.”

Medic whirled to zoom in on Heavy, pointing directly towards the man. Heavy for his part merely raised an eyebrow calmly, already seeming to have a good feel for where this was going.

“You have some space in your bags, yes?” Medic asked, a sleep-deprived grin spreading across his face. “Come on! You can fit a jar or two! Just – haha! Just. Don’t shake them. I mean you can a little! Just – just not too much – come on, you can –”

“It’s fine,” Heavy interrupted bluntly. “I have space.”

Heavy shook his head in mild amusement as Medic immediately dashed for his bags, shoving tubes and jars into them haphazardly, zipping them up before turning around just as suddenly once again. This time though, his gaze zeroed in on…Engineer. Engineer gave a start at that, before finding himself in the sudden grip of the doctor by the shoulders, the man somehow managing to get up and dash straight towards him faster than he could blink.

“Listen to me, and listen to me carefully Engineer,” the man said at barely whisper volume under his breath. “I have certain…projects in my lab, that I need someone to keep tabulations on them. Now I can compensate you after, of course, but I want to know if I can count on you.”

“Uh…sure? S’long as you’re not expectin’ somethin’ too ridiculous from me here…”

“Oh good, good!” Medic grinned, shoulders seeming to relax, although he still kept his voice incredibly low. “Oh, also – I need you to feed my snakes; I have about, oh, about roughly ten?”

Engineer couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at that.

“…Roughly?”

“Now listen,” Medic hissed, eyebrows furrowed at that. “If _you_ do not feed them, I will have to pay someone who _will_ – and if you want to be interrupted seven days a week clearance passing the medic from two bases over then _fine,_ but –”

“Woah now, hold your horses!” Engineer cut in quickly. “I didn’t say no, now did I? ‘Course I’ll uh…feed your – are they pets?”

Like hell was _he_ going to have anyone interrupting him at hours when he didn’t want to be on base. Knowing Miss Pauling would most likely be dropping in on him at random hours for sure was enough complications to deal with on his own.

“Ah, we are agreed then! You should find an instruction binder in my lab room, their food in a locked fridge. Different snakes must be fed at different times and days, so don’t forget that! I left a schedule marked out. Now as to handling my experiments –!” Medic stopped talking straight in the middle of his tracks as he heard – then saw – the bus wind down into the base’s driveway, making its way towards the garage.

“Yeah, what about them?” Engineer tried to ask before blinking as Medic quickly scrambled to push the cart he had previously been using back into a corner, away from view.

Medic turned immediately back to him, elbowing and leaning in to whisper as Miss Pauling was the first to exit from the front.

“I left written instructions on my lab table,” Medic relayed as quickly and quietly as he could. “You will have to excuse the coffee stains but well – here are the keys to the rooms, hm?”

A set of keys was conspiratorially shoved into one of the pouches on Engie’s tool belt before Medic quickly walked away, joining the other mercs as innocently as he could as the rest started filing into the garage now after them.

“Alright everyone,” Miss Pauling carried her voice over the crowd as she was the first to jump out. “As I mentioned previously, the industrial facilities you’ll be working to protect have some very dangerous open lava pits! So please, PLEASE remember that keeping the grappling hooks you’ll soon be passed out on yourselves will be important!”

“Grappling hooks?” Engineer muttered.

He’d never been on a job before that required the use of grappling hooks…he could only imagine the places he’d be able to get to if he had access to one of those full time. He could already feel the itch to experiment in the back of his neck that he always got whenever he found himself shipped off to a new base, testing out new terrain and different rules. Ah, well…he quickly stuffed away any visible disappointment, keeping a tight smile as Miss Pauling went into her directorial spiel, Miss Howard hopping quickly out of the bus after her. The somehow mousier woman ran to the side of the vehicle to unlock the luggage holding areas, allowing the mercs to finally start hefting their gear and supplies inside.

Well, that was two out of three of their arriving party. Which means that only left…

The soft thud of work boots, as another, older man in a hardhat and overalls came down the bus steps after the two administrative staff members. He may have looked rougher around the edges, with a graying beard and longer hair tied behind the back of his head in a ponytail, but he was still unmistakably an engineer of the Badlands…like him. So, this was the engineer who’s leave left a space open for him…hell, what had Spy said his name was again?”

“Yo, Everett good to seeya buddy – woah, hey!”

Scout’s waved greeting was cut short as Soldier marched right past him, pushing the younger merc suddenly to the side. Scout stumbled surprised, before managing to catch himself from falling over. He immediately straightened up, glaring and making rude hand gestures to the back of Soldier’s blissfully unaware head.

Well, Engineer tactfully thought as he observed. From the looks of what he was wearing at least, Spy and Demo’s mission to corral the man into something that would be considered decent in front of feminine company had been an actual success.

“EV, OL BUDDY! LOOK SMART!”

The other engineer – Everett – stopped to place down his toolbox with a hoarse laugh, allowing himself to be picked up into a tight bear hug by Soldier first. A few shared firm pats on the back, and the man was just as immediately dropped down with an amiable grin.

“Ha, at ease, fella! How you been?”

“HOW’VE I BEEN? HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?!”

“Aw come on, don’t hog him all to yourself! Yo, Ev!” It looked like Scout wasn’t giving up to Soldier so easily, already pushing his way up insistently once again.

Engineer paused, hesitating as he looked around for something to do within all the movement and fuss. He certainly had no business greeting the counterpart he replaced; that would just take precious time away from the man trying to catch up with his old friends instead. Who knows how much time they’d have to socialize once they got there? The luggage was clearly being handled well without his help, and it did seem as if Miss Pauling and Miss Howard respectively had everything else they needed to do under control…well, that was alright then.

Engineer slipped to a quieter spot further from the crowd, leaning against the back of his own truck to simply watch. No need to get in anyone’s way, after all. Teammates of his excitedly greeting Everett, helping load bags, messing around with the mechanics of their newly procured grappling hooks – there wasn’t much of a place in all this movement for him, really.

Maybe he should just consider which rooms he’d check around in first at the RED base, instead of paying much attention to well…all this. Right. Engineer leaned back further against his truck, crossing his legs as he fished out a cigarette to think, pushing any other thoughts of his aside. Quietly he lit it before taking a drag. He could definitely look through all the record rooms first more thoroughly, especially since they were the closest. He wondered silently if that red spy had wiped his own files by now, before quickly shaking out that thought as well…most likely he had, anyway. He might have tampered with other documents too, hiding away anything else of interest in there.

Not that he’d have anything to be suspicious of but still; he did seem the cautious type. Not that he was unable to take risks, he’d clearly proven that – Engineer shook his head in mild amusement, breaking himself out of that train of thought. He was getting distracted. He took another drag of smoke before exhaling again, nodding with a small grin towards his own Spy, as he elbowed past with a knowing look towards the animated Soldier next to Everett.

Engineer paused once his Spy was looking away again before frowning softly over his smoke to himself. Maybe there was a room somewhere in that base there, where they kept older documents and slides from past teams like the BLUs _here_ used to have…of course, if the BLUs were sent to central, chances were the REDs were sent to theirs as well. Maybe that spy of theirs had squirreled away copies somewhere…no. No, no…Engineer sighed to himself softly. Although it would be just like the man honestly – again, the thorough type – trying to locate where a Spy stashed their goods, let alone one _that_ careful would be more trouble than it might be worth when simpler options were available.

Still, one could dream. Engineer shifted from where he was leaning to look around at the rest of his team again. Maybe finding the maps of the RED tunnels was nothing more than a pipe dream, but well…he had to try. All the entrances towards the BLU tunnels Engineer knew of had caved in, and there were no doubt multiple collapses inside over the years besides…maps from the records saved in BLU’s central hadn’t painted a sunny picture of their state the last time Engineer had read up on them anyway. He furrowed his brow in frustration at that.

On the one hand, they’d definitely be difficult to navigate and dangerous; but on the other hand, it was also a guarantee that no GRN soldiers would be stationed anywhere within…certainly near the entrances and exits marked out they’d be there just in case, but nowhere else. Maybe he could rig up some kind of digging equipment? With a fully unified map, he might be able to bisect and marry the two systems for time – not to mention, he’d know which additional exits and entrances of REDs he should also be avoiding. Well, either way, Engineer was sure he could figure out some sort of plan that would – he blinked, broken out of his thoughts suddenly. The minute Engineer turned his head slightly, his eyes met the other Engineer’s, who was looking straight at him.

His back straightened up immediately at that. Was he just looking behind him or…

Engineer observed closely as…Everett? It was more comfortable to think of him as Everett. As that man seemed to take his eye contact as enough acknowledgment of invitation to walk over, with Soldier happily trailing behind.

Aw, hell.

He could get through this. Quickly he dropped his cigarette, stomping it out.

“Hey there,” Everett greeted now with an easy smile, stopping in front of Engineer as he got closer to hold out a hand. “You must be the new guy ‘round here now, yeah?”

“That I am,” Engineer replied, affable face already made up as he reached out himself and shook it. “Should I be callin’ you…?”

“Everett’s fine – I don’t mind Ev either for short.” Ev nodded in affirmation. “I’m pretty much off merc duty these days for the most part, y’know…well, outside’a this current job anyway.”

His handshake was firm; not too weak, but also not overbearing, the way some shook when they felt the need to compensate for something. Engineer silently found that he did not mind it.

“Well, I’m sure the fellas are happy you were able to fill in last minute,” Engineer joked now with a shrug as they both pulled their hands away. “Nice to meet you.”

“Aw, weren’t nothin’ at all,” the man grinned, shaking his head. “S’not as if they had to pull me back from a couple states over or anythin’ – I may be off merc duty, but I’m still on payroll in development work for the company these days. You know the prototype research facility over in The Well, right?”

At the mention of The Well, Engineer couldn’t help but blink.

“The Well – as in the main facility, right? The big one? Then you must know…?”

“Norma?” Everett chuckled. “Ha, yeah, I definitely do. The minute I mentioned where I transferred from, she actually asked about you, you know.”

Engineer couldn’t help but laugh himself softly in surprise at that; Auntie Norma, huh? She wasn’t exactly related by blood, but she may as well be a third aunt to him.

“Yeah, I think I told her I was bein’ moved out here. Well, before I left that is. Was workin’ there for a while myself while I was in limbo between merc stationings. So many good projects over there…”

“Figured I had the right fella then. I mean, what would have been the odds?” Everett grinned, eyes crinkling behind his goggles. “You oughta call her sometime. That one experiment you started over there is comin’ along in some interesting ways, and she’s been itchin’ to show you the progress.”

“Oh man, the speed and jump pads,” Engineer laughed for real now. “I remember gettin’ some _controversial_ reactions to even _thinkin’_ about a teleporter replacement, but c’mon now! They’re almost useless on last defenses, y’know?”

“I actually agree! We’ve been workshopping different ways to streamline the process of choosing between which build you want on your PDA and…”

“Is that everything? Everything on the bus?” Miss Pauling’s carrying voice over the crowd asked, breaking through their conversation and reminding them suddenly where they still were. “Alright, Miss Howard if you could get the grappling hooks so we can pass them out as early as possible…”

“Yes Miss Pauling,” the woman quickly replied, already darting back into the bus to get the gear out.

“…Hell,” Everett murmured, before turning back now towards him. “I s’pose we’re going to be heading out soon. But it’s good to see you’ve been acclimatin’ to things here…the fellas seem to have takin’ a shine to you.”

“YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN IT EV!” Soldier cut in, shouting from behind with a laugh as he gave the man a good thump on the back. “PRIVATE HERE’S BEEN PUTTING ENOUGH TELEPORTERS IN THE ENEMY BACKLINE TO KEEP THEM RUNNING IN CIRCLES FOR DAYS!”

Engineer blinked, seeming to have almost forgotten that Soldier had been standing happily with them the entire time. He wasn’t used to Soldier staying quiet for _that_ long of a stretch of time. Or any soldier, for that matter.

“Really now?” Everett laughed, looking between them. “I’m sure the Reds ain’t been too happy about that! Especially that Spy…real stick up his ass, that one,” he continued with a chuckle.

Engineer opened his mouth at that as if to say something before closing it just as quickly…he wanted to say something in reply to that based on his own observations, but felt immediately as if he had to choose his words carefully.

“Well,” he replied slowly. “I wouldn’t know; haven’t had that many interactions with the fella myself quite yet. Can’t be no worse than any other Spy out there, yeah?”

“Trust me, that jackass probably thinks he’s better than half the world’s population just ‘cause he’s some European city boy; _way_ too high an opinion of himself,” Everett snorted, before quickly sobering up. “Mind, that doesn’t mean you should start underestimating him, or any of them other Reds now, you hear? He may be a jackass, but he’s still a jackass that knows well enough to hide his deck of cards, if that makes any sense.”

“Yeah, I getya,” Engineer nodded, feigning polite agreement. “I know the type; clever enough to know how to hide his own cleverness.”

He remembered the way he saw that Spy strafe through the air that day…sure, it could have been a mere fluke. His teammates never mentioned anything that would lead anyone to believe otherwise. But Engineer had a hunch of his own since then that there had been more to it…he didn’t know if he agreed with Everett’s assessment on his overall personality, however.

“WHATEVER HE HAS, WE KICK HIS ASS WITH THEM, HOW ABOUT THAT MEN!” Soldier loudly thumped them both on the back at that, his own way of showing comradery.

Engineer gave a small grunt as Everett laughed and clapped him back with just as much force in friendly reply.

“I gotta say, I missed your energy, big guy! I damn well know y’all will.”

Engineer chuckled along at that, although he still mulled over it all to himself silently. Granted the man knew the enemy Spy longer, so he should know him better, that much was true. However, Engineer highly doubted the two had ever happened to share a dinner together. He quirked a small grin to himself at that; he had really taken a big risk with a move like that in the diner that night, but it had been a rare chance to face to face with an enemy, of all people.

It had been…interesting. He had watched the man closely. He did seem to think a lot of himself, that much was true. But there was something almost funny in the way he cautiously tested out dipping a grilled cheese in a bowl of tomato soup.

Granted, he could have done with a few less jackass comments on the field, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t tussled at that level himself against him.

“Soldier! Uh, Soldier!” Miss Howard shouted now, trying to wave his attention over. “Your grappling hook!”

“MA’AM YES MA’AM!”

“Right, right,” Ev shook his head, as if about to make his way back himself before stopping to watch curiously as Soldier stood there, rifling through his pockets. “Now what’ve you got there…?”

Soldier quickly pulled one of his proudly handmade medals triumphantly out before smartly stomping forward to clip it onto Engineer’s shirt as he stared.

“For bravery, and good luck! Keep the fort held down for us!” Soldier saluted with a self-satisfied wide grin.

He jogged over to Miss Howard now before Engineer could properly say anything, passing Heavy by on his way as he walked up towards the two himself.

“Engineer,” the man said gruffly, calling his attention with a wave. He turned his head to crinkle a smile at Everett with another nod, greeting him as well. “…And Engineer.”

“Hey there,” Engineer replied curiously, as Ev tipped his helmet with a small grin of his own back as well. “Need my help anywhere, or…?”

“No, not what I came to tell,” Heavy replied as he turned back to him shaking his head. “Just forgot to mention; check freezer. Everything inside, labeled – just need reheat. Should be enough for rest of week.”

“What – now wait, you didn’t have to go to the trouble –” Engineer tried to protest before Heavy shook his head again, albeit more firmly this time.

“Already done. Is good; stay safe.”

“Uh…well thanks,” Engineer could only reply slowly now, as Heavy seemingly satisfied gave him one last firm nod, followed by a more subdued one towards Everett before walking away.

“Catch ya on the bus, big fella,” Everett waved back, Engineer still for his own part paused in thought.

“Huh…”

“I suppose I should be heading back as well,” Everett sighed, before the corners of his mouth crinkled up in a smile again as he looked back again towards Heavy’s retreating back. “Like I said earlier though…they’re a good bunch. Don’t take ‘em for granted.”

“Would never dream of it.”

“Would never dream of what now, lad?”

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by Demo’s voice, Engineer giving a small jump as he and Spy seemed to almost sneak up silently from behind.

“Oh – hey you two,” Engineer shook his head in mild embarrassment as Spy elbowed Demo with a short look before he could get out so much as a chuckle in reply.

“Apologies,” Spy now said, playing experimentally as he did with the newly procured grappling hook in his hands. “I just wanted to let you know, regarding these new devices. I think they only expect us to use them while we’re away, but I’m planning to see what I can smuggle back when we return for you to tinker with as well.”

“Ha, really now? I’d like that,” Engineer’s face broke out into a grin at that, as Spy gave him a thumbs-up back.

“Aye, and don’t worry lad,” Demo added as he gave him an extra cheery thump on his back. “We still left ye’ some of the good whiskey in the back room.”

“Good to see you again by the way Ev,” Spy continued, looking curiously between both him and Engineer. “You two met before?”

“Good to see y’all too,” Everett chuckled. “And no, nothin’ like that. Just a shared acquaintance.”

“You ever used one’a these things before?” Demo asked, waving his own grappling hook above his head. “Looks like y’got yours before you came here.”

“I did get some practice in,” Ev nodded towards him now, pulling his own off his belt. “So see, how this thing works is…”

As Ev turned his attentions towards explaining the device to a clearly interested Demo, Spy turned his own back towards Engineer, nonchalantly walking just close enough to discreetly slip a piece of paper into one of his belt pouches. Engineer looked up curiously towards him as Spy kept his face passive.

“I had the feeling you might need to ask me something regarding the Basin while we’re away; this is a secure number you can call me or leave a message from. I expect you know how to telephone from a non-company line,” he said quietly now, voice low enough that nobody else in the room would have even known he’d been talking.

Engineer despite his burning curiosity knew good and well enough to keep his face passive along in response. Still though, he couldn’t help but ask just as silently.

“What made you…?”

“I know you’re going to be nosing around, and like I said earlier – I’ve been here longer than you. I have my contacts if you need them too, so don’t be a stranger.”

“You – I mean…thanks.”

He supposed he hadn’t considered Spy might have his own interests with the situation back home as well. Spy gave one last nod before turning his gaze back towards Demo now to exchange glances. Demo noticed and gave a small nod of his own before turning back to Everett to steer the conversation around once again.

“Y’think Miss Howard wants us back on the bus now, aye?”

“Huh – oh yeah, we should probably head over there – I was just about to actually,” Ev answered, blinking. “Plenty of time to practice with this gear when we get to the base we’ll be working at…”

“Well, I suppose we’ll see you when we get back then,” Spy added to Engineer, turning back towards him. “Good luck with your endeavors here.”

“Yeah, don’t burn the base down while we’re gone!” Demo joked.

“Aw lay off him,” Everett laughed, already packing his own grappling hook away. “Save it for the enemies, y’hear?”

“Oh, got plans now do we?” Demo snorted as they began walking away.

“…Perhaps…”

Engineer shook his head in mild amusement as he watched the group walk away, although his gaze towards Spy was more examining; he seemed like an alright sort…for now anyway. And it was _some_ line of support at least, all things considered. Honestly, if the man truly did want to get him in trouble, he could have certainly done so long before now. For now at least, he’d quietly consider the offer.

Engineer paused in thought though, as he finally took notice of Scout…Scout who had been shooting them looks the entire conversation it seemed. How long had he been doing that, pretending to talk at Pyro over there? The minute he noticed Engineer was finally free, the boy made a beeline towards him, Pyro noticing and trotting along after as well.

Aw hell, their eyes had met. No way of getting out of this, Engineer supposed.

“Ey buddy!” Scout said cheerfully, Pyro still shadowing him. “I’m not gonna be able to bring my bike while we’re out there so I figure hey, no big woop, I’ll just give you the keys to it! Least I could do with ya’ doin’ me a solid and fixin’ it back to normal and all.”

“Oh, you didn’t have to…”

“And hey, if you were uh, plannin’ on adding anything else well uh, you do got a lotta time to yourself now so hey I mean, I’m not sayin’ I left a notebook of ideas in the kitchen but like –”

“Scout I ain’t making any promises but…”

Engineer caught the keys tossed towards him, but despite his best efforts to talk Scout down, the jackrabbit just couldn’t help but keep going.

“That ain’t a direct no, great! Alright, so what I was thinking was – ah hey, Sniper what the hell man –!”

Never had Engineer been more quietly thankful towards any Sniper, as the man walked up silently behind Scout before dragging him away unceremoniously by the shirt collar. With a two-fingered salute towards Engineer, he continued to ignore the rest of Scout’s loud complaints all the way back to the bus, Engineer doing his damn best not to laugh at the sight. Pyro stood there for a moment themselves, softly giggling under their mask as well next to him.

“I s’pose you should be heading out too, lil’ buddy,” Engineer finally said, turning to them.

Pyro’s inscrutable face turned towards him and met his gaze quietly for a few seconds, Engineer calmly refusing to break eye contact the entire time. Pyro broke the silence first by giggling again quietly with an acknowledging nod, before skipping away towards the bus.

As the last of everyone in the garage milled their way onto the bus themselves, Engineer raised an eyebrow when he noticed Miss Pauling wasn’t joining everyone else there as well.

Actually, she was walking straight towards him.

Engineer softly wrinkled his nose to himself.

He wasn’t going to be getting another _talk,_ was he?

“Hey Engie,” Pauling said after giving Miss Howard one last wave, the bus finally starting to back out of the driveway. “You’re going to facility B-6, right? I figured I’d catch a ride with you and we could talk.”

Damn.

Guess he wasn’t so lucky this time.

“If you don’t mind leaving early ma’am,” he replied amicably, already walking towards his truck as he pulled out his keys for it. “I was actually ‘boutta go right after everyone else was out; some work I wanted finished there early, nothing special.”

He wanted to finish early so he could get to using that teleporter exit of his as soon as possible, but that wasn’t something he was about to tell her.

“Right! Perfect,” Miss Pauling replied briskly, already quickly following after him.

Engineer didn’t have to tell her his rules about not touching anything inside the truck by now, at least; they’d gone through this song and dance enough times by this point.

There was a short silence between them as Engineer started the ignition, pulling them out of the drive. He always had to take the long way to wherever he was going when he shared the truck with Miss Pauling; probably the biggest downside of having her along, he supposed. Normally when he was on his own, he’d just use the teleportation functionalities he’d built in one summer with his ma, and be right down the road to work in less than a second but well…Miss Pauling was a bright one. It was always best to not give her more information than she needed from him, practically speaking. The fact that he’d been tinkering with technology of this level casually wasn’t exactly information he wanted floating around in general, though.

“So,” Miss Pauling finally said, breaking the silence. “About the upcoming week…”

“Yeah, I’m planning to spend more time on my research off base if that’s what you were going to ask about,” Engineer was quick to reply, dutifully doing his best to steer the conversation away from any mention of the incident with the GRNs not too long ago.

“That’s what I was going to talk to you about actually,” Miss Pauling added, fixing her glasses as she checked her clipboard in the seat next to him. “All facilities within the area are going to be having mercenaries from GRN guarding them for the foreseeable future, until we get this whole situation sorted out. Figured you should uh, know that.”

At that Engineer could only blink, doing his best to keep his face blank and in check.

“…You’re kiddin’ me.”

“Oh, believe me, the people up top aren’t happy about it either,” she pressed on, shooting him glances as if to try and suss out his reaction. “It will be lower security levels than ground zero of course, but these precautionary measures had to be taken.”

“Well then,” Engineer replied dryly. “I’ll do my _best_ to get along with them.”

“OH, that reminds me! Another thing – remember the roads you took last time near the Basin during the – your…incident? Let’s call it an incident. Well, they’ve been closed off indefinitely since then. They’ve also brought in snipers from YLW company as an extra measure since then too, so I wouldn’t think of trying to sneak a car past in the foreseeable future.”

At that Engineer really cursed under his breath; snipers from YLW? Everyone knew the snipers hired by that company were among some of the best out there…their aim was almost inhuman, really. It was definitely a wrench into any break in plans he had in the coming days. The more this situation developed, the less and less Engineer trusted the original story Miss Pauling had given him as an excuse that very first day.

He considered his next choice of words carefully.

“My aim isn’t to ruffle any feathers here,” he finally said slowly. “I just want to get my damn work done.”

“Right, and I understand that,” Miss Pauling nodded. “But I’m obligated to tell you about the consequences of causing any trouble right now.”

“Trouble?” Engineer chuckled. “Me?”

Miss Pauling shot him a look at that, quickly sobering him up.

“Engie, do you see this large stack of papers I have in my hand?”

“I’m focusing on the road, but I assure you I did see them before entering this vehicle, yes.”

She was going to tell him it was a list of everyone the head of administration wanted killed this week.

“This is the list, Engineer. It’s a list of everyone the Administrator wants killed. This week.”

He sighed silently.

“…And it’s your job to get the right people into the right graves, or you’ll end up in one too, I s’pose.”

“And you’ll be right there with me, Engie.”

“I reckon I would be. Miss Pauling,” he murmured, voice quieter but still serious as he made another turn on the road. “Look, I admit…I know there’ve been other ‘last times’ I’ve had in the past, but you know I’ve been careful to toe the line each time it’s happened. I want to keep my job, and my life as much as the next fella, alright?”

Miss Pauling gave him a hard stare for a few seconds, before turning back to her work in hand, face expressionless.

“I’m aware, and that’s why I’m trusting you on those grounds to handle yourself.”

“Thank you kindly –”

“– Which is why I’m also telling you right now that if anything arises requiring more manpower then just you and your sentries on base where you’re most vulnerable –”

“Doubtful,” Engineer snorted.

“…I’m leaving you the instructions to wire the security systems to directly call in GRN mercenaries stationed at any nearby facility to come to your aid. _Please_ do so once you return from base.”

Engineer gave a low grunt at that, but stayed polite.

“…Yes ma’am, I’ll be sure to.”

“Great! Good – good talk.”

Well, silver linings at least; that talk could have gone much, much worse. Engineer kept quietly to himself as he drove down the next road, keeping his eye out for where he needed to turn next. She could have chewed him out much worse, as she had in the past. Hell, that time in Upward hadn’t been that long ago, before he was left in limbo between bases…ah, there’s that turn.

“…You know,” Miss Pauling said again, cutting the silence suddenly. “If you’re looking for any extra work to fill up the free time you’re going to be having soon, I do have some contracts I’ve been holding on to that would be _perfect_ for you actually…”

Engineer paused for a moment at that. Well, it would at least give him some cover or an alibi for later if he did start snooping around Badwater, come to think of it.

“…Sure,” he finally said. “I’d like that. I got my contracker in the glove compartment actually if you want to load it up right now, in fact.”

“Great, perfect!”

As Miss Pauling loaded up his contracker, the roads started to become much more closely patrolled, signaling that they were closer to their destination. A few clearance checks away, and Engineer finally drove into his parking spot, turning the ignition off. Miss Pauling snapped his contracker shut as he pulled his keys out, taking his seatbelt off. Back into the glove compartment the contracker went, along with a discreet manilla envelope.

“I put what we discussed in there, and I’m leaving you a number you can call me by directly too, if anything comes up,” she said, getting out from the car. “Good luck out there Engie…oh, and thanks for the ride.”

“No trouble miss,” he answered with a small wave, as she already started walking towards one of the many side entrances to check herself inside.

The moment he saw her silhouette leave, his shoulders relaxed; good. One last thing to worry about.

Alright, then. The sooner he punched out of here, the sooner he could get to the work that _really_ interested him. A few more security checks he had to bypass upon entering, and he was on his way.

He nodded towards a few of his colleagues in the hallways, before pausing when he recognized a gathering from the AI division talking grimly in one of the open cafeteria spaces. One of them was groaning face down against one of the tables, sitting there in seeming defeated despair amongst them.

Well…that was interesting.

“There a problem fellas?” He asked amicably before stopping.

“Aw, it’s nothing much…you heard about the _incident_ recently, yeah?” One of them snorted, before waving his hand towards the man still grumbling quietly. “Most of them prototypes were from Phil’s work, and we just got the news the majority of them got smashed good. Poor guy’s back to square one!”

“Ah,” Engineer winced in sympathy. “Sorry to hear that, then.”

“Just leave me here to die,” the man who was apparently Phil muttered.

“Well, good luck figuring things out fellas.”

 _So,_ Engineer thought silently to himself as he left, continuing to make his way. Miss Pauling hadn’t been entirely lying; there had in fact been an incident involving research prototypes from the AI division breaking loose. That still didn’t entirely explain…well. Engineer paused his thinking to give a sociable nod towards one of the green mercs peppered throughout the hallways as he passed.

Well…all of that.

He stopped for a moment as he got to the elevators to wait for a lift, checking his watch as other employees with the same goal in mind started milling around him. The usual bunch; he recognized members from the chem research divisions, biotech, teleportation research, and even the lasers department in the growing gaggle. Engineer nodded towards the one or two other ‘merc off the clocks’ like him in the mix. Nobody was really talking much, however today. Not like they usually did anyway. Everyone kept exchanging glances.

Whispering mostly. Pausing in silence whenever a green mercenary – not a member of their usual security – walked past them. Engineer found himself curiously following along now, keeping quiet as well as he observed. It was the bright ding of the lift’s light that finally got everyone moving as the doors slid open for them. Everyone filed inside quickly, only relaxing amongst each other once the doors closed shut behind them.

“Jesus Christ,” one finally muttered, from teleportation research by the looks of it. “Those new guys they hired have been questioning me and my team all week. Has it been the same for everyone else, or what?”

“I thought it was just the AI division’s problem,” one of the biotech scientists balefully replied. “But they’ve been combing through every member of personnel no matter the department like a fine comb.”

“Questioning’s one thing,” another woman from biotech whispered, troubled. “Did you see what they did to anomalous materials divisions?”

Engineer recognized her by now actually…she was second in command in that department. Janet, wasn’t it?

“What? No,” The first researcher from teleportation muttered back, troubled. “What did they do? Our departments are supposed to be working together, but they haven’t let us access those floors or equipment ever since well…”

“The incident,” Engineer slowly added, finishing his sentence for him as it trailed off.

“Well I saw what happened,” Janet continued, pressing on as everyone turned in interest at that.

“Yeah?” Another asked curiously. “What didya see?”

“It was by chance,” she began grimly now. “I was supposed to be picking up some specimens for our own labs that day from them, but…well. When I got there, I saw staff directly from administration talking to the research head instead. And they didn’t look happy either. I swear, purple uniforms, and everything…”

“Purple uniforms? It was that serious?”

“Jeez…”

Engineer knew that research head…Rowan. He worked with him quite a bit in fact. Engineer frowned; administration staff, huh? He genuinely hoped that didn’t spell out anything bad for the guy.

“I didn’t hear much though…it looked like they were in on the tail end of the conversation, actually. But their research head looked very serious – next thing you know, everyone and all their equipment from those labs started moving.” She shook her head now, eyebrows furrowing. “Haven’t you all noticed that nobody from Anomalous Materials has been here since…well…since then?”

As everyone muttered in reaction to that, Engineer blinked at this new information in thought…the Anomalous Materials department, huh? Any department that produced some strange shit that needed to be examined ended up going through their labs for the full examination process. Naturally of course, this meant the teleportation and biotech research divisions ended up interacting with those fellas a lot.

Something here was connected, that was obvious; he just needed to figure out _why._

“You talk to Rowan, don’t you, Sackett?” It was the researcher from teleportation, turning to him now. “Did you hear anything from him?”

Engineer shook his head at that before shrugging.

“I’m afraid I’m as much in the dark as y’all are. As far as I know, my department hasn’t even been questioned yet.”

“Damn.”

“Lucky…”

“You’ll probably be approached today,” Janet muttered now, face still scrunched in worry. “They’ve been asking us nonstop, distracting us since yesterday…just be careful, alright?

“I’ll see what I can do,” Engineer nodded sympathetically, as murmurs continued to course throughout the group. “I’ve dealt with worse though; I bet I can handle them.”

“Good luck, okay?”

“Yeah, you’re gonna need it…”

The minute the elevator opened again everyone went back to silence, giving each other only passing knowing shared glances as they all milled back out. They all did their best to quietly ignore the new mercenary hires from GRN as they passed, and Engineer in these regards, was no different. Nobody wanted any trouble, as far as they could help it.

And as much as Engineer loved trouble, the more he avoided, the better. All he needed was enough time in the day to take advantage of that teleporter exit of his…that was it. And as long as he was able to punch out early, that would be achievable.

He just had to get rid of the GRN mercenaries that would no doubt be waiting for him on his lab floor, if his hunch based off all the workplace rumors were to be believed.

If they were questioning everyone, then well…he opened the door as he walked inside, the corner of his mouth quirking up into a small grin.

Yep, there they were…the three of them turned to look towards him, the few scientists and engineers also here this early turning furtively every now and then to look nervously towards them. So, right on the money.

Well, he could work with this though.

“Mornin’ fellas,” he greeted smoothly, as he made his way towards them. “Y’all need anything here? If you’re looking for directions, there are maps posted ‘round most of the hallway walls...”

“Yeah, we need to ask you some questions. If you’re busy we’ll ask you while you work.”

No doubt they were probably expecting him to try and wriggle out of it.

“Well sure, I’d be glad to! Oh,” Engineer said now, face twisting into an affected frown as he paused in his tracks. “Y’all haven’t been leaning on t _hat_ piece of equipment all this time, have you?”

“What?” The first one asked as they all quickly moved away from it. “Maybe. Why?”

“Frank,” Engineer sighed. “Were they leaning against that darn thing?”

One of the engineers turned curiously back towards him from his work, before he quickly caught along to the ploy going on and nodded.

“Uh yeah sir. Woulda said something, but they didn’t seem to like being told what to do much.”

At that Engineer paused before taking a few steps back, as the rest of his crew stopped to do the same as well. The GRN mercs looked around nervously, frozen in their tracks.

“Alright fellas…I’m gonna get this out straight,” Engineer said as calmly as he could, voice even. “First off, you may or may not have tumors, depending on whether or not you got lead in them underpants of yours protecting you. Second off, depending on whether or not you accidentally hit a switch, you may or may not also have experimental nanoparticles traveling in your bloodstream into said tumors.”

This was all bullshit of course, but they clearly didn’t know that.

“What?!”

“Frank, did they walk near anybody?” Engineer asked over them, already pulling a phone off the wall and dialing a number towards biotech.

“Not that I saw sir, but they might have.”

“What’s going on?!”

“Now fellas, stay calm –” Engineer started before the call went through and he stopped, holding a hand up. “Hey – Well hello Janet! Yeah, we have a situation up here. Remember that piece of equipment we borrowed? Well, some of those new mercenaries got near it and – yeah…yeah.”

Looked like she was quickly following where he was going with this too.

“So you’ll be able to get them looked at huh? Alright great! Thank you.” Engineer closed the line before smartly dialing a new number into the phone once again. “This medical? Yeah, we got a situation here. Mind sending some hazmats down here? Thank you kindly.”

“…Hazmats?”

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to postpone this questioning,” Engineer said briskly as he put the phone back away on the wall. “Y’all are in some serious medical trouble, and you may have compromised my entire staff as well; thank god not many folks are in yet so far. Call in a raincheck…how about we talk tomorrow? That fine with everyone?”

“Now wait just a second –”

“Works for me boss,” Frank helpfully cut in before any of the GRNs could argue further. “We just need to drop in for an examination, right?”

“Yeah, if you’re clean they should let you out early,” Engineer nodded, dutifully ignoring any spluttering from the ignored mercs in question.

“But – someone else could question you instead and –”

“Now look fellas,” Engineer cut in once again, quick to stymie any further complaints. “You know, and _I_ know that your superiors definitely told y’all not to mess with any lab equipment, correct? You can’t fool me; I do mercenary work on my main hours. I know the drills.”

The mercs opened and closed their mouths as if to say something as Engineer continued, giving all three of them incredibly hard stares.

“So listen…I don’t think the fellas up top are going to be too happy to hear about this situation that is due to _your_ negligence, specifically. My whole lab is boutta get sterilized and quarantined for the rest of the day ‘cause of y’all, months of work on hold, staff’s health potentially compromised – do you _really_ want me reporting all that when they ask why you three needed replacing?”

He could see in their eyes now the taste of the defeat as they exchanged glances at that. Good…it was working. Somehow, it was working anyway.

“I think we can all agree I’m being rather kind here when I suggest we opt for a conversation postpone instead of having a replacement report on our hands, wouldn’t you say?”

Silence, before one of them finally slowly nodded, followed by the other two bitterly.

“Yeah…I suppose that would work.”

“Well that’s wonderful fellas – ah, and here come the personnel I called, right on time!”

Thank god those boys in green didn’t send anyone particularly smart. With the mercenaries shepherded away, his early staff down for a short examination, and his labs quarantined, the men they sent ended up being more of a blessing than the distraction he had feared.

He wasn’t just getting out earlier than usual; he was off the hook for the day altogether. He gave a jaunty wave as he passed by biotech to Janet, before grinning as he got back to the lifts so he could make a quick jog down to the parking lot. He was grinning, and he couldn’t help it as he made his way back to his truck, fishing out his keys. He was excited. Giddy, in fact. All he had to do was park his truck back in the base, punch in those codes Pauling had given him, and he was free to go. As he made a turn back out of the driveway of the lot, he only drove a little bit further out of sight before he hit a switch, opening the dash of his truck to show all the teleportation controls inside. He punched in the number to one of his newer presets, and the truck with him inside it was sent immediately back down the road from his current BLU base where he had started, now empty of teammates completely.

Right, perfect.

Time to get down to the _real_ fun of the day.

* * *

* * *

Spy had been prudent with his time. With his replacement already in the base the night before his team’s leave, all he personally had to do was stay in his secret room and wait their eventual departure out. And in that time, he had kept busy; sheaves of paper and reams of files collected on the history and layout of the Basin were combed through by him to figure out any possible point of entry given the current situation. He had to be as thorough as possible if he wanted this break in to succeed. Just the day before, he had already done his own fair bit of reconnaissance on the GRN team members stationed there as well, comparing how they operated to his own past experiences running into that company’s teams.

Alongside the information helpfully supplied by Regine given her own establishments past digging into the matter, Spy had quite the combined set of data on his hands. And yet he was still running into a brick wall trying to figure out the safest point of entry; unsurprising, given even Regine had been having apparent difficulty. With all the rotation schedules set in practice, taking on someone’s identity to get inside alone would prove to be difficult – and things had gotten even more complicated with the arrival of the snipers from YLW. He rubbed his eyes at his desk, before he continued meticulously reading, jotting notes down.

A distraction ploy was too risky; and with the YLW snipers as well, anyone unrecognized would surely be gunned down on sight. Spy gave a low hiss of breath as he continued to flip through his files, considering all the outside personnel he’d logged as having clearance to enter in the meanwhile…Mann Co employees, high-level ones, obviously. Administration members from both companies, dressed in purple naturally. A few scientists Spy had already begun doing background research on, mostly from both company’s extant research facilities. Interestingly enough, there were a few visitors and suits from nearby Black Mesa attempting to gain clearance entry, but they weren’t given access – at least not yet anyway.

It was possible they knew something he currently didn’t – a long-shot strategy, but still a possible one. He did have pictures after all of every person from that company he’d seen attempt entry; if he were to simply match those pictures to staff names, approaching them in disguise to glean what he could was a simple enough plan. And it would at the very least give him office spaces and computers to target, given how massive that particular company’s main campus was. Spy tapped the bottom of his chin thoughtfully though…that would help him gain information certainly, but it still wouldn’t get him inside the Basin, that was for certain.

He swiveled his chair, turning back to the multiple maps of the Basin he had pinned up on the wall, all from various time periods. General staff was cleared out of the area for now, so that was out of the question…all industrial work put on seeming hold. Their entrances were completely shut off as well. He’d seen all the sensors and gear placed around the perimeters too…fairly top of the line equipment that would be difficult to trick with what he had.

There were of course the old underground tunnels, but they were certainly out of the question for him; all the entrances and exits known by both teams were heavily guarded, and they were completely unsafe in terms of actual stability as far as the records showed besides. Even considering digging new tunnels down there would promise nothing other than disaster and collapse in their current state. He sighed, rubbing his forehead…right. He’d start by probing the Black Mesa weak point, and if that didn’t pan out, he’d see what weak points he could exploit with any peripheral GRNS, since they made the vast bulk of the security currently. There was always some crack in the walls, as far as Spy was concerned…he had just had to find it.

Speaking of cracks in the wall…Spy checked the alarm he’d set up on the room the enemy engineer’s teleporter was in. He snorted…no movements yet, but today was the day, that was for certain. He checked his watch now, as he snapped one of his files shut. His teammates should be long gone by now if they wanted to make it to their current assignment on time. Right…time for a break to clear his head. Spy took one of the books Pyro had lent him alongside a bottle of wine, a few glasses, a camera, and his gun. He might as well greet that Engineer when he arrived for proper humiliation with some style.

Once the alarm itself was filed into his inner coat pocket as well, he was on his way. He slipped out of one of his secret passages, before making his way down the halls in the empty red base. It was strange having this place all to himself, he had to admit…it was the lack of life really. Soldier alone probably accounted for more than half of the noise that went around the place. Spy didn’t necessarily mind the weighing quiet; it was welcome in some ways. He couldn’t say he would miss it, however. This level of silence just didn’t feel natural to him…it was off. He made another turn down one of the halls before nodding in satisfaction once he saw the room he was looking for…perfect.

Quickly he opened the door and walked inside. He had already set up a modest table and comfortable chair ahead of time, knowing what his plan was in advance should he have the time. Quietly he set down the wine and the glasses on the table, before pulling the camera and its retractable tripod out from his coat. One quick setup and the trigger to set the device off securely in his hand, and he was ready to go. He turned the alarm off; wouldn’t need that anymore now that he was physically here. Spy smirked quietly to himself now as he made himself comfortable in his chair, pulling out a fresh cigarette and striking a light.

He had taken the liberty of moving the teleporter ever so slightly to be more precariously on the edge of where it was initially set up, using a ladder he had brought into the room before safely stowing it back away. If the Engineer was going to be so bold as to show up, he would certainly be in for a rude awakening. The fact that Spy’s pistol was safely tucked away and ready to go as well would only cinch that as a soon to be fact.

Now, all he had to do was wait. Spy paused as he pulled out the book Pyro had lent him and truly examined its cover now, pouring out his first glass of wine as he did. He raised an eyebrow as he perused the title, and a bit of the first few pages within. He knew Pyro enjoyed their fair share of fantasy literature by now, but he should have known that there’d be a fixation on dragons as a featured creature specifically. Well, it was something to do that wasn’t work at least. Besides this game of his currently that is. Spy snorted quietly to himself at that, over another sip of wine. Perhaps he should have brought along some of that Engineer’s other files to read along as well, but he didn’t fancy the idea of giving the man even the slightest of a chance to figure out exactly _how_ much information on him Spy now happened to have.

Spy paused thoughtfully as his mind stopped on that. He wondered quietly if the Engineer even _knew_ about that little following of his by this point. Granted any further espionage on his character, he may simply chalk up to the nature of his own extracurriculars…still, it was food for thought. Spy flipped through more pages of the book idly as he took another long drag of his smoke, still mulling over the man. When was the last time he ever had to deal with a migraine of quite those proportions like that? Spy couldn’t really honestly say…at least he had some comfort in the knowledge that he was being just as much of a migraine in return.

Although the way their last bout had ended…Spy frowned silently to himself. He hated leaving things at such a stalemate like that. No, especially not with that frustrating man specifically. Spy wanted to _win_. His eyes flitted up to the teleporter exit again, before they returned once more to the pages of his book instead. Spy was a patient man; he’d get his satisfaction eventually. No, there was absolutely no way he was allowing a stalemate between himself and a man named _Clifford_ of all names to stand by. Spy shook his head at the mere _recollection_ of that name.

Clifford? _Really?_ Oh, perhaps it was unfair to judge. After all, that childrens book with the oafish giant dog who shared his moniker had only become all the rage a few years ago at most. He could only imagine the sheer amount of jokes he could make at that expense still, however. Such a strangely friendly name for such an annoying little man. Let’s see…

As Spy continued to consider all the possibilities, barely paying attention to the book in his hands, the minutes continued to tick on by. And the minutes of course, didn’t take long to wash into hours. He was set though, prepared for the assumed long wait at hand. Time as far as he was concerned, wasn’t a particularly daunting obstacle to him. If the man didn’t show today however, Spy was more than willing to cut his losses and simply shoot the offending enemy exit down. As much as he loved the idea of getting to gloat over the offending enemy engineer, he still reluctantly had other issues at hand he had to prioritize first and foremost…still though.

If he had the opportunity here, why not take advantage of it?

The early morning hours were now long past, and the clock was ticking closer to noon. Spy was actually starting to get invested into the book he was reading when a sudden sound from not too far above started him away from his current page.

“What the – woaAH –!”

A loud thud and the sound of crates falling, as the Engineer’s initial triumphant act of teleportation was immediately punctuated by his sudden teetering fall over the edge.

Oh, this was better than Spy had even dreamed.

Smugness washed over him as he immediately sent his camera clicking away, the Engineer dangling from one arm precariously now, managing to catch himself a little around halfway down from his initial elevated height. Muttering bated curse words under his breath, it was only at the sound of the clicking camera that made the red-faced engineer crane his neck over to finally take full stock of the still all too smug Spy. Spy of course was still sitting there, all too comfortable as he swilled his glass of wine whilst pointing a gun at him.

“ _Howdy,_ partner,” Spy drawled, in a mocking overblown impression of the man’s accent as he still hung on by a mere thread. “Why don’t we all just give up?”

Oh, this was just _too_ good. Never had anything been sweeter to Spy before now than seeing that stupid dumb look on his face, caught as he was red-handed. The initial shock on his face shifted immediately to confusion, then dismay, followed wonderfully by embarrassment.

“How – you’re here – wait –”

The way all the stored items in the room were shelved though, haphazardly as they were, meant that they couldn’t hold up a man gripping on for dear life from those heights for long. As much as the engineer tried to stymie his momentum, his grip was very quickly and obviously slipping, as the edge of the crate he was holding onto began to slip loose.

“Aw hell –”

Down he fell further, Spy still delightedly snapping photos away. First he banged his right leg into a jutting out dispenser, the edge catching roughly into his jeans and leaving a nasty scratch as he continued to tumble down. Then a few other crates came toppling over with him, banging unceremoniously onto his hard-hatted head, as he continued to loudly curse with each bang and bump that caught into him. Of course once he finally hit the ground, there was a sickening crack, most likely from that very same right-side leg.

A short silence before he heard a low groan; Spy raised an eyebrow, surprised the man was somehow still even conscious after all of that. He observed with sheer interest as Engineer shifted from his unfortunate landing spot now, twisting just enough to be able to blink owlishly from behind his goggles towards him.

“Uh…hm. Howdy…?”

“Oh,” Spy replied in a mocking tone of voice feigning remorse, smirk still plastered all over his face. “Did I throw a wrench into your plans?”

There was yet another short awkward pause, before the downed Engineer finally let out a small raspy laugh in reply.

“Well damn…I suppose you did.” At that Engineer really examined Spy closely now, still in pain from his position though he was. “…What on god’s green earth are you still doing here though, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Spy raised his gun again more pointedly at that, an eyebrow arched as if to drive a point.

“Strange; I do believe this is _my_ base after all, and you are a member of the _BLU_ team…so besides it being none of your business, you are in no position to be asking questions in the first place here, wouldn’t you agree?”

Engineer looked more thoughtfully at that, although he still winced in pain at the mere slightest of movements from his one bad leg. Spy examined him carefully, already taking keen note of the fact that he had still managed to keep hold of his wrench the entire way. It was clutched hard still in his one gloved hand, geared and ready to be set off at a moment’s notice.

And yet…here he still lay.

“Yeah, I suppose I can’t argue with that. Can’t blame a fella for trying though.” Engineer paused again; eyebrows still furrowed. “But really, why aren’t you out with all the rest –”

“I have the gun, I ask the questions here.”

“…Alright then, what’s your question…?”

Spy took a slow sip of wine at that, considering his next words carefully…honestly, he didn’t think they’d get this far. He figured by this point the Engineer would have scrambled to teleport away with his wrench and his tail between his legs, as Spy had one last good laugh.

“Hm…I suppose I could turn your own question around. What possessed _you_ to think you could simply waltz around as you pleased in here?”

Engineer grunted as he shifted himself into a more comfortable position as best as he could, dutifully ignoring the gun still pointed squarely at him.

“I don’t know,” he answered a little more defiantly now. “I’m not the member of a team that let a _goddamn engineer_ stay undiscovered in their base long enough for that question to even be relevant now, am I?”

Spy couldn’t help but bark a laugh at that, sneering.

“Bold words, coming from a man who could be shot at any moment.”

“You’re a spy,” Engineer snorted. “Maybe if you were any _other_ class you’d send me back to respawn without a second thought. But nah, your type’s got too many questions to just leave things at that…go ahead. Come on, take the shot! I _dare_ you.”

Now this, Spy _definitely_ hadn’t been betting on. He had to admit it was true…it would be a crime to take the shot now, when there was so much information that could be extracted. And yet at the same time…the man still had that damn wrench in his hands, and could leave the moment he even saw a twitch of Spy trying anything funny.

In a way, they were at an impasse.

Almost impressive really, given that by all accounts, Engineer was the one who should be at an actual disadvantage between them currently.

Clever little bastard.

Don’t tell him that he was actually trying to extract information from _Spy,_ now was he? The mere concept almost made him laugh once again, but he restrained himself…no, Spy knew by this point he had to take him a little more seriously than that.

After all, the man had surprised him before.

Spy leaned back in his chair now, grin still on his face, but he didn’t put the gun away quite yet, just for appearance's sake. He gave a small sniff as he set his wine glass down, before examining the engineer more closely once again.

“Hm…touché. You _are_ a little risk taker, aren’t you?” He mused out loud, keeping his voice low and dangerous. “You could simply fold up your cards and leave, yet you’ve chosen not to.”

“You didn’t destroy my teleporter exit,” Engineer drawled, an undertone of sarcasm in his voice. “Sure is clear you didn’t in order to make a damn fool outta me, but I’m gonna try to get my money’s worth from all the hard work it took just to _get_ it there, all the same.”

“Ah yes,” Spy replied more blandly now. “Your cheap _Pyro_ getup, I’m sure.”

At those words engineer really paused, before looking up slowly.

“Hm…well I’ll be damned. I don’t suppose you’d mind sharing with me how you figured that out, now would you?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Spy replied, feigning a sympathetic shrug. “I suppose you could tell me why you wasted your time in the recreation room unnecessarily instead.”

“Oh that’s simple,” Engineer chuckled more raspily this time. “I just heard the music down the halls and wanted to get a better listen. Not much more to it than that, I’m afraid.”

Spy examined Engineer’s face closely, trying to find even the smallest hint of sarcasm in his voice or demeanor…there wasn’t any. That was ridiculous. He couldn’t be serious, could he?

“You’re joking,” Spy stated flatly, frowning. “I’d suggest answering more seriously.”

Engineer could only shrug quietly from where he lay down.

“Not sure why I’d lie about something like that…but it’s true, whether you believe it or not. You ain’t bad with the piano there fella, although I’m more of a guitar sorta man myself.” Engineer tilted his head now, examining Spy back just as calculatingly as he knew he himself was. “But I don’t think you made the decision to stay behind all on your lonesome just to ask me about _that_ whole business, now, did you?”

“If you’re trying to get me to flatter you, then I’m afraid you’re failing.”

Suddenly realization dawned on the Engineer’s face, as it broke slowly now into a wide grin.

“Son of a bitch…you’re still here because you can’t keep your nose out of that business in the Basin, now can you?”

Spy wrinkled his nose, as Engineer laughed harshly once again at that.

“You can keep throwing any theory you want into the air,” he replied coolly. “But I don’t think that would really change your situation, now would it?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Engineer thought out loud, humming quietly. “I got to admit, I’ve been a little interested in all that trouble myself.”

Ah…it was all starting to come together.

“…Did you actually think you’d find something _here_ that would help you?”

“Something about what?” Engineer replied, feigning an innocent tone of voice.

Spy couldn’t help but scoff at that.

“You know, I don’t _have_ to shoot to kill, yes? So many areas of the body one could shoot instead to add yet more prolonged pain…” His voice was low now, but the implied threat was still clearly there.

Engineer just looked up even more defiantly however, grin curling into one more taunting.

“I have never met a man who wanted to kick my ass so bad,” he drawled. “You’ve been wanting to kick my ass since that first day I kicked your own damn behind with a wrench to the head.”

Spy took the shot wordlessly now, leaving Engineer to give another loud shout of pain before it morphed into another, somehow still taunting low laugh.

“Oh my god, you want to kick it so bad,” he snarled, humor still dripping in his pained voice mockingly. “You do, and I can see it. You want to tear me a structurally superfluous new behind so bad it makes you look _stupid._ ”

“Oh, I think I already have,” Spy snapped.

This was ridiculous. The man was on the ground, broken leg, fresh gunshot wound, and he was still laying there like an idiot _laughing_ at him.

“Is it really winning if I can just leave at any time?” Engineer sneered back, looking up with derision. “Face it; I’m giving this to you for _free_ right now, and you hate it. I could tip off _your_ company heads at any moment the minute I leave that _you’re_ sitting all pretty down here, and they’d be on you like a fly on shit. Come on, you want to beat my ass that bad? How about a wager, big shot?”

At that Spy _really_ barked out a laugh incredulously.

“A wager? That’s where you’ve chosen to go with this? What makes you think I’d even agree?”

“You want to break into the Basin, now don’t you?”

Spy paused now once again, still incredulous, but he couldn’t help but look the bleeding fool up and down almost admiringly. The sheer _nerve_ …he’d seen more seasoned men crack to less.

“Regardless of whether or not I _do_ , what would additionally give you the impression I can’t accomplish such a task on my own?”

“Because if it was so _easy_ , you’d have shot down that teleporter exit _long_ ago – you’d be spending too much time diggin’ round down there to even _bother_ wasting time on petty bullshit with little ol’ with me.” Engineer somehow managed to grin even more insultingly now towards him. “Now if say, the underground tunnels were a bit more accessible, that’d be a _different_ story, now wouldn’t it?”

At those words, Spy examined him even more closely with narrowed eyes, but didn’t agree to anything just yet.

“…Keep talking.”

“You have access to information on the RED’s tunnels; I…I have access to information on the BLUs. Would that be an accurate statement?”

“Perhaps.”

“All the old entrances n’ exits are heavily guarded…but we know the tunnels themselves are unstable…unmaintained…could easily collapse at any time, so they rarely send fellas down there if at all…” his words trailed off as Engineer coughed with another louder hiss of pain, momentarily forcing him off track. “But I personally have the…the…”

Spy sighed, before getting up now from his seat, gun however still in hand.

He’ll be damned…he was actually more than curious what the man had to say. What exactly was it that he was holding up his sleeve?

“If you try anything funny, I’ll shoot your other leg; do _not_ move.”

“Wouldn’t…wouldn’t dream of it!”

It seemed as if the adrenaline from the initial fall had finally worn away, as the actual pain from everything that had just happened was finally starting to sink into the brash, foolish man.

Spy walked over to a stack of dusty crates to the left side as the Engineer’s eyes followed him, before pulling out a good length rope from within one. He tested it quickly with a short tug then just to double-check on its strength.

“Clearly, you’re having difficulty speaking currently; but if I were to administer anything to alleviate your situation, there’s no telling what you would do unrestrained.”

“…So you’re going to tie me.”

“I’m not leaving you alone, and I need to take you to the medbay somehow. I’ll allow you to keep hold of your wrench.”

“…That’s fair.”

“I will also be destroying your current teleporter exit, however. I don’t want you simply teleporting your way out the moment we’re a few feet from the door, just so that you can teleport your way back in.”

At that Engineer truly hesitated.

“But…”

“Do you wish to have your wounds attended to, or not?” Spy gave him a good hard look at that. "You may have my curiosity enough to hear you out, but not enough of it to let you teleport away to lick your wounds and come back, with god knows what. If you leave now, I _will_ shoot down that exit regardless."

Engineer grunted at that, meeting his gaze, before finally giving a small nod.

“Alright…I’ll play along.”

“Perfect,” Spy smirked as he made his way closer now, careful to keep both his hands fully visible so as not to spook the man immediately away just yet. “I’d shake on it, but I’m afraid that might be an unwise decision in your current state. To the med bay, yes?”

Engineer paused as if to say something before grimacing again, finally opting to answer instead with another slow nod. His shoulders were still clearly tensed however, eyes behind the goggles still following Spy’s like a cornered wounded cat’s.

Engineer held his arms out in front of him rather than behind, which was probably the wisest decision on his part, as Spy finally got close enough to lean down and tie them. The man’s grip was still hard on his wrench however, his eyes analytically following everything as Spy additionally tied his legs and patted him briskly down.

“You have your shotgun on you.”

“Ah, take it.”

“I’ll be confiscating your pistol too.”

“I didn’t even like that one, to be honest.”

It took only a few shots to shoot the teleporter exit down, the Engineer still on the cold concrete floor flinching at the sound in reflex.

Carefully Spy picked the man up now, letting him lean his weight with another muttered hiss to his side, propping an arm up under him. Given the way Spy had tied him, he knew full well he’d have to drag him unfortunately this way…the things he did for his job.

Spy sighed before he gave a grunt and a heave, getting down to work.

“Agh –!”

“For a man talking so big before, you certainly seem to have lost your stuff,” Spy snorted as he managed to get them both out the door.

Engineer gave a low huff at that, albeit still wincing.

“Well I’m sure that’s a very easy thing to say in your position, now ain’t it?”

“My ‘position’ as you so kindly put it would certainly be easier, I think, if you ate a bit less.”

“Well if you expect to be dragging grown men around full time, maybe you should be the one eatin’ a bit more now, how about that?”

Spy rolled his eyes at that, giving the Engineer a look as they continued to make their way painstakingly down the halls.

“Oh, got your tongue back, have you?”

“I mean – OW – hey now –!”

Engineer yelped in pain again as Spy intentionally bumped him into a wall. Spy tried not to give another snort again as he noticed the man crane his head back towards him accusingly at that.

“…What is it, _dear_ Engineer?”

“...You low down scoundrel.”

“Oh? I do believe the pot is calling the kettle black!”

Engineer scowled, but couldn’t give much more than a pained grunt at that.

Thankfully the medbay wasn’t too far from where the storage wing was, given that medic generally liked having quicker access to those rooms himself.

Spy shuffled out his keys before placing the correct one in, finally dragging the engineer in after him, and heaving him back down onto one of the swivel chairs inside with a sigh of relief.

Engineer watched the man unimpressed as he took more than a few seconds to recatch his breath.

“You need to work out more, fella.”

“And you need to talk less,” Spy snapped, before walking over to the cabinets and pulling a fresh bottle of healing fluids out.

He held it out in front of the suspicious Engineer so that he could see the seal was still covering the bottle itself as a whole; it was fresh from the factory, barely out of its packaging box. Carefully he unwrapped the thing of its sealants in front of him, letting Engineer watch all of Spy’s movements until he was able to pull the top of the bottle as well off.

“…If I even _begin_ to feel myself dozing off, I’m teleporting outta here, I hope you know.”

“Oh, just open your mouth,” Spy sighed.

Engineer gave another irritated grunt before he slowly did as he was told, still watching Spy’s every movement with hard, honestly understandable suspicion. Carefully Spy tipped his chin back with one hand before he carefully poured the fluids down with his other. Once the bottle was empty, Spy pulled away before pausing as he watched the Engineer now with a wrinkled nose; apparently, he’d been a bit sloppy with some of the pouring. The man was doing his best to lick the access fluid around his mouth away, mildly irritated, with his tongue. Wordlessly Spy pulled out a handkerchief from his jacket pocket again, grabbing the man’s chin a second time to wipe his face off himself in his stead.

Engineer for his part gave another aggravated grumble in response, but thankfully didn’t let out a complaint or any other single word. The minute Spy pulled away a second time, Engineer shifted in his chair instead experimentally, as if testing out to see the fluids effects. It didn’t take long for them to kick in once they’d been drunk usually after all…even if it had been only one small bottle this time around.

“Well…I’ll give you credit for not trying to poison me quite yet.”

The effects were as usual, quite miraculous. The Engineer’s broken leg was now mostly mended, and the gunshot wound was now barely a scratch. He still had some bumps and abrasions of course, but for the most part, the pain itself should now be mostly dulled.

Spy rolled his eyes, before leaning back against the medic’s operation table.

“If I recall, you were previously discussing the underground tunnels, yes? Let’s get back down to business.”

At that Engineer paused, tilting his head towards him, before nodding it with a low worn laugh.

“Yeah…yeah, I was…a bit dangerous to enter for you right now, aren’t they?” At that Engineer leaned in closer, finally starting to crack a grin again. “But I can make them safer – I have the equipment, the knowledge, and the muscle…not to mention the sense to go about such a task discreetly.”

Spy pulled out a new cigarette nonchalantly as he hid any reaction of his to those words, lighting it and taking a long slow drag instead.

“…If that were the case, what would you need from me?”

“Access in the first place; all the damn exits and entrances are guarded, but if we were able to get into one just _once_ …”

Spy slowly gave a nod at that, seeing where he was going.

“…You could build a teleporter.”

“I sure as hell damn could…but that’s not all.” Engineer gave another shrug now, with some feigned innocence at that. “I’m sure you’ve also heard from the grapevine by now that Black Mesa’s been wanting to get clearance into the Basin as well. Well, the BLUs and the REDs both have contracts with those guys…and I think with my connections personally I’d be able to get you a way in myself.”

“…So that I can dig up information for yourself to utilize, I assume.”

“Gotta know where to target, if I’m planning to construct a new exit…and gotta know what to build in preparation too, once a fella or two got out.” At that Engineer grinned even wider. “Face it…this is easier if tackled as a group project, wouldn’t you agree?”

Damn.

Spy could just tell from the way Engineer talked he knew damn well he was making an offer that was too good to possibly refuse.

He should really be more upset with him.

He really, really should.

Spy took another drag from his cigarette, keeping his face passive as he chose his next words.

“…I suppose I can see the benefits. Where though, might I ask, would your wager come in?”

Spy found himself rolling his eyes again as Engineer laughed more triumphantly at that.

“Ah, that’s the fun part…my wager, since you want to beat my ass so bad is a duel…a specific kind of duel, and one _specifically_ in your favor, since I’m a thoughtful man,” Engineer replied with an all too proud self-satisfied smile for a man currently tied down. “We fight melee only, practice versions of our respective weapons of choice. You land a knife on my back you win…but if I get a wrench clean to your head, then I’d say I win instead.”

“What an odd proposal,” Spy snorted, deciding to play along. “And what do you additionally suggest happens if either of us hits a different area instead?”

“Simple,” Engineer chuckled, more energy now starting to come back to his voice. “I’d say I need about two wrench hits to normally kill you – how about the other way around –?”

“Four hits, normally.”

“Then those are the rules we go by…hell, we can even draw it out over the week, instead of making it just a _one-match_ affair. Best outta seven. We can tussle it out in your base too, so long as you let me get a new exit in here up and going…unless you _really_ want me parking my truck anywhere outside as a dead giveaway instead.”

Ah… _there_ was his game.

“You do realize of course that if I were to agree to that, I would be the one to choose the room where it would reside, and I wouldn’t leave such a theoretical room unguarded or unmonitored,” Spy added coolly, although he couldn’t help the lightest twitch of a small smile at the very thought. “You will not in fact be able to come and go at your own leisure without my knowledge of the fact.”

“If that’s what it takes…and hell,” Engineer added, face twisting into yet another smirk towards him. “We could even make the wager itself more interesting - put something _other_ than bragging rights on the line.”

“You’re not going to get any company or personal information out of me,” Spy was quick to reply bluntly.

“Ha! I figured…oh no fella, I’m not gonna ask for that, and I ain’t gonna ask for money either.” At those words, Engineer leaned in once again, still looking all too pleased with himself. “You gotta give me a record of some of that music of yours…you know. _Play_ me a bit of that pretty piano of yours.”

Spy couldn’t help but scoff incredulously in response, shaking his head at the mere thought in humor. _Really?_ That again?

“Hm…alright fine. I’ll bite; but that means _you_ have to agree to whatever I want when I win too.” Spy smiled towards him now, eyes narrowing towards Engineer like a shark. “Tell me Engineer…do you sing much, since we’re on the subject of music right now?”

At that Engineer paused hesitantly.

“…I suppose I can, serviceably enough. Why?”

“Hm…oh it’s nothing. I simply think that if you wish to have a recording so badly, then it is only fair if you agree to one for me as well.”

“I mean sure, I don’t see the –”

“In French.”

Now Engineer _really_ paused at that, at loss for words.

“…French?”

“The song would be my pick, of course – and I too, consider myself a thoughtful man as well…I’d give you a week to prepare. It would certainly be amusing enough. Do you still agree to these terms?”

Engineer considered the offer in quiet thought, before slowly nodding.

“Yeah…yeah, alright fine. Sure, I’ll sing your damn song if you win – but I don’t think you will.”

“You overestimate yourself, which I’m sure you realize right now given your current situation,” Spy chuckled, all too unkindly.

“…Perhaps.” Engineer mused, before shrugging once again, leaning back. “But I still got you to agree, didn’t I?”

“Hm…I’ll give you that.”

“Well…if you untie me, I suppose we could shake on it.”

Spy raised an eyebrow as he examined the Engineer carefully, the Engineer examining just as carefully back as well. Slowly Spy got up, walking closer as he drew his knife, Engineer following his every movement, his grip on the wrench twitching like a hawk’s.

Quietly then, Spy took a chance and cut the Engineer’s bindings.

As the man slowly got up, rubbing his wrists, Spy held out a hand, keeping the one on his gun carefully behind his back as Engineer examined it closely.

“Well, I don’t have all day.” Spy scoffed towards him.

At that Engineer sighed with a shrug before finally taking the hand offered and shaking it back as well.

“Alright, you got me there.”

“…Although we do in fact, have all day. Best not to waste it,” Spy added briskly as they pulled away. “Follow me; I think I have just the spot for your new exit in mind now, actually.”

Engineer smirked before he nodded behind.

“Yeah…? Lead the way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, this chapter took me longer than initially expected! I hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. If you notice any grammar errors or anything just message me here or on my blog, haha. I'll probably edit these notes later to add more information about what went into this chapter, but if my head stays empty, it stays empty.


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